


oh darlin', stand by me

by simplyverstappen



Series: crowns [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, IT SOUNDS WORSE THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Lewis and Nico both know about history and they show it, Lewis is a drama queen again, M/M, Mentions of Panic Attacks, Modern Royalty, Roscoe and Coco!, Royalty, but what's new, someone gets shot, strong language & lots of swearing, the crown references, they still argue about monarchy, this part is so much more angsty than the first one and I am not even sorry, winter ball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-19 01:37:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22336411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyverstappen/pseuds/simplyverstappen
Summary: You marry the Prince and live happily ever after - that’s the ending of every fairytale, right? Except that reality isn’t really like that and Lewis has to learn it the hard way.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Kimi Räikkönen/Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg
Series: crowns [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600864
Comments: 50
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay okay so I did A LOT of research for this, visited 3 out of the 4 palaces/castles mentioned (unfortunately I live too far away from Charlottenburg) and I just had so many more ideas for them so here is THE SEQUEL asdfghj I'm excited :D and nervous as always lmao 
> 
> I'm gonna split it up in two chapters again and I'm gonna upload the second part some time this week.
> 
> Big thanks to J, J & S for helping me so much with this, I'd be completely lost without you ♥️ 
> 
> Have fun! ♥️

_NOVEMBER 2021_

“Where _the fuck_ is my phone?!”  
“I don’t know, where did you leave it?”  
“Funny, if I knew I wouldn’t ask.”  
“Stop being so grumpy.”  
Lewis slithers into the next room, ignoring Nico’s comment and cursing the palace’s size under his breath.  
Schloss Charlottenburg has over 90 rooms and he groans in annoyance when he realizes his phone isn’t in the Amber room either. Half of the rooms look like a museum anyway with all the gold, chandeliers, stucco, dark wood, huge portraits, and historic furniture, Lewis being too scared to touch half of the things he sees (Nico says it’s fine. Says they have people who work here to make sure everything stays intact. That doesn’t calm Lewis at all though).  
He prefers the modernized part of the palace and not just because there are no visitor groups strolling around during the summer.  
Maybe he has forgotten about them once. Maybe he walked in half-naked on a tour guide explaining something about the Porcelain Room. Maybe he had to flee through the palace after that and get lectured by Kimi about ignoring locked areas (not his fault a guard forgot locking the doors, seriously).  
“Why do you need your phone?” Nico’s voice makes him look up and Lewis rolls his eyes while checking behind some historic sofa in the Silver Room.  
“Because I need to call Toto about the article I’m writing“, he says and nearly hits his head on some vase when he comes back up.  
Nope, but he didn’t have much hope in here to begin with. They haven’t been in the Silver Room for months, Lewis doesn’t even like it that much and he groans in annoyance.  
Maybe the oval room or the throne room?  
“You can take my phone?”  
“You don’t even have Toto’s number.”  
“No, but I can get it for you.”  
“And give the poor man a heart attack when the king himself calls? No thanks.” Lewis snorts and keeps wandering, Nico following him with a wide grin.  
“Come on, it’s not that-“  
“HA!” Lewis triumphantly reaches behind the throne and grabs his phone, a proud grin on his face.  
“Fucking finally.”  
“Why is it here anyway?”  
“Must have fallen out of my pocket when we fucked on the throne this morning.” Lewis shrugs and raises his eyebrows when he sees Nico staring at him. “What?”  
“Nothing. Just not something I thought I’d ever hear you say.”  
“Not something I thought I’d ever say.” They grin at each other and Nico’s gaze softens.  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too.” Lewis steps forward, kissing him softly and they stumble back, Nico falling onto the throne and pulling Lewis on his lap.  
”Really? Again? Kimi-“  
“Kimi isn’t here, it will be fine”, Nico interrupts him, burying his hands in his hair and Lewis can’t help but moan when Nico‘s hand slips into his pants. Amazing that he still can’t get enough of him and he presses himself closer to Nico, kissing him as if his life depends on it and-  
Someone clears their throat behind them and they break apart immediately, Lewis blushing while Nico has at least the decency to look a bit guilty.  
“Your Majesty, I doubt the school class, that’s visiting in half an hour, wants to see their King fucking his boyfriend on the throne”, Kimi says dryly and while Lewis blushes even more, Nico is actually speechless. Kimi just raises his eyebrows and Lewis turns to Nico, glaring at him.  
“Didn’t you say Kimi isn’t here?!”  
“Well, he wasn’t five minutes ago.”  
“Nico!” Lewis shakes his head but he can’t help the grin forming on his face before slipping from Nico's lap. It’s not that they’re completely subtle about their sex life anyway and it’s also not the first time Kimi walked in on them and he gives their Head of Security an innocent smile.  
“Don’t tell Seb?”  
“Would never.” Kimi looks him dead in the eye but there is a smirk playing around his lips and Lewis knows he’ll get yelled at about “proper behavior in public” by his best friend tonight. Great.  
“Thanks for nothing.”  
He gets his phone from his pocket, leaving Nico behind - he really doesn’t want another lecture and he still needs to call Toto. 

“You know you can’t-“  
“Use my real name? I _know_ this, Nico. It’s not the first article I’m writing since I’m officially dating you.” Lewis gives him a short smile and Nico cuddles closer, glimpsing at the screen.  
“What is it about?”  
“The effect of Brexit on the United Kingdom.” Lewis sighs, he’s tired and really not in the mood to look at more pictures of Boris Johnson (he has met him a few times by now and the guy really is a dick - not as bad as Trump, but close).  
The hardest part of moving into the palace and stepping into his ‘official role’ (aka being the King’s boyfriend), as Kimi had called it, was giving up his job. And well, nearly everything else.  
But giving up his job had hurt and he had made a deal that he would still write a few articles a month for David, publishing them under a pseudonym as members of the Royal Family are traditionally politically neutral. Lewis understands why but he thinks it’s bullshit.  
Nico and he haven’t even married yet and-  
“What are your plans this week?” Nico’s voice makes him look up and Lewis sighs, closing his laptop and shoving it away.  
“Ask Fernando, I have lost complete track of my schedule.”  
With his new ‘role’ come also new responsibilities - and that are visiting charities, people and State Events with his boyfriend.  
He’s basically Nico’s First Lady (at least that’s what Lewis calls himself sometimes) and Lewis is glad that he at least can choose himself the charities he wants to support. Most of them are with animals, he visited Save The Rhino last week in London and Lewis has to admit that it’s pretty cool.  
He learns a lot but he still misses his freedom sometimes. Misses just taking the metro without people recognizing him and Kimi yelling at him that they have a perfectly fine car he could take (okay, Kimi rarely yells. But Kimi glares at him and Kimi is scary when he glares).  
“Already so depending on an assistant?” Nico’s amused voice makes him look up and Lewis snorts.  
“Don’t make me sound like that, I really have no idea where I have to be tomorrow! Fernando might be a dick sometimes but he’s good in what he does.”  
“Don’t let him hear that or he won’t talk to you for over a week again.” Nico grins and Lewis laughs.  
Fernando Alonso is their Senior Household Officer, having worked for the Spanish Royal Family before and he’s basically responsible for everything concerning the Royal Family organization-wise.  
Kimi and he have to work together most of the time and it’s not that they don’t get along but...there is always some tension. And not the good kind.  
“Where are Coco and Roscoe?” He lifts himself a bit up, peeking over the bed on the floor and turns to Nico when he doesn’t see the two dogs they adopted half a year ago. Nico just shrugs, yawning and cuddling himself under the blanket.  
“Why do you miss those drooling, hairy monsters?”  
“They’re just like you.”  
That gets him a pillow in the face but Lewis just laughs and Nico sighs.  
“I think Val took them for a walk through the palace gardens”, he then adds and Lewis nods, pulling his laptop closer again and searching for his schedule (Fernando at least had been kind enough to send it to him per email).  
“I’m visiting some school tomorrow...oh I get Valtteri with me, nice.” He grins and Nico groans, falling back into the pillows.  
“Means I get Kimi for the meeting with the chancellor. He’s no fun.”  
“Yeah well, you’re more important than me so obviously you get your Head of Security.” Lewis just shrugs, scrolling through the schedule and frowns.  
“We are going to Munich?”  
“Oh yeah, I completely forgot to tell you!” Nico's eyes light up and he sits up, crossing his legs. “I’m holding a guest lecture on my old uni in Munich before we go to Neuschwanstein.”  
“And we’re doing there what exactly?” Lewis raises his eyebrows, he sees nearly all of December blocked with “Neuschwanstein” but he has never been to the palace.  
He has never been to the South of Germany in general, only knows that Nico owns a shit ton of castles down there, Neuschwanstein being the most beautiful one.  
“We have a Winter Ball”, Nico says simply and Lewis blinks, not sure if he heard him right.  
“A...Winter Ball?”, he asks slowly and Nico nods, excitement in his eyes.  
“Basically the biggest event in Europe this year.”  
“Sure.”  
“No for real, we have every Royal Family from Europe coming, every important Politician and it’s just... a huge thing. My family is doing this since Ludwig II. finished building the castle, it’s tradition.”  
Nico shrugs and Lewis nervously licks his lips, fidgeting with the blanket.  
“Great...?” He hates such royal events. Hates all the rules and Royal Protocol and he takes a deep breath, he suddenly feels sick.  
“It will be fine.” Nico gently touches his arm, giving him a soft smile.  
“That’s why we’re there for nearly three weeks. So we can teach you everything and you can get to know the palace.”  
“How many rooms?”  
“...200.”  
“ _Are you fucking kidding me?!_ I barely know my way from here to the kitchen by now, how am I supposed to find my way around _200_ rooms in just three weeks??” Lewis stares at him incredulously and Nico sighs, massaging his temples.  
“We can give you a map?”  
“Very funny.”  
God, he feels sick and Lewis takes a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. A Winter Ball. Every Royal Family from Europe. 200 rooms. Why does his life hate him so much?  
“We have the State Dinner in the US before that anyway”, Nico says and Lewis groans in annoyance, falling back in the pillows. Trump.  
Again: why does his life hate him so much?

“And Lewis: behave!” Fernando glares at him, it’s the morning after Nico told him about the Winter Ball and Lewis rolls his eyes, shoving some more vegan pancakes into his mouth.  
“I always behave”, he mumbles with a full mouth and while he can see Kimi and Valtteri grin, Fernando just raises his eyebrows.  
“ _Es un desastre_ ”, he mumbles and Lewis glares at him, before looking accusingly to Nico.  
“He is mean to me!”  
“Fernando, don’t be mean to my boyfriend.” Nico doesn’t even look up from his phone and Fernando snorts, before tapping on his iPad again.  
“I know about your Fake Twitter account by the way”, he says, giving Nico a deprecating look and now Nico does look up, staring at Fernando in shock while Lewis hides his grin behind his mug.  
“Britney Smith? Really?” Fernando raises his eyebrows and Lewis nearly chokes on his pancakes laughing, even Kimi cracks a smile and Nico blushes.  
“No one knows it is me!”  
“It’s still hilarious”, Lewis points out and Fernando sighs.  
“I sometimes feel like a babysitter”, he grumbles but he can’t hold back a grin when he takes another look at his iPad.  
“The Dutch and the Germans are arguing on Twitter who has the better Royal Family.”  
“We do, obviously. What question even is that?” Nico snorts and Lewis pulls the iPad over, ignoring Fernando's protest and grins when he sees the tweets.  
“Hmm, the Dutch say that they were the first country with a gay royal couple while the Germans say you are together with a British, vegan, black, commoner from a poorer background so you already won.”  
“I know.” They grin at each other shortly and Lewis looks at the iPad again, scrolling through Twitter.  
“Also apparently there is a petition in Australia to the Queen. They want to split from the Commonwealth and join the Dutch Kingdom.”  
Nico starts laughing and while Fernando pulls his iPad back, Lewis snorts.  
“I kinda wanna know what happens when I marry you.”  
“They will want to see you as the King of England.” Nico shrugs and while Lewis stares at him, Fernando clears his throat.  
“Anyway. Mind if I post a picture of you two from the official Instagram account? After all, you two are better than King Max and Prince Daniel.”  
“Just say Max and Dan, Nando.” Nico waves his hand dismissively while Lewis tries fixing his hair, scooting a bit closer to his fiancé. “No one has time for titles and we are not in public.”  
“Whatever.” Fernando sighs, taking a quick picture of them with his iPad and mumbles a “can’t compete with Felipe and Letizia anyway”.  
“Rude, Nando”, Nico mocks him, taking a bite from his avocado toast and Lewis grins.  
“Anyway, back to business. You.” Fernando puts the iPad down and eyes Lewis. “As I said, we have the State Dinner in the White House in a week and I want no arguments about politics with Trump, understood?”  
“But he is so stupid!” Lewis exasperatedly runs a hand through his hair and glares at Fernando. “Every time he speaks I just wanna yell at him!”  
“Yeah well, no.” Fernando shakes his head before turning to Nico.  
“You have a meeting with the German chancellor today, Kimi will go with you.”  
“I know this”, Kimi grumbles. “I was the one making the security plan.”  
Fernando just ignores him and Nico sighs.  
“When do we leave?”  
“In an hour. Lewis, you know your plans for today?”  
“Yes.” Lewis leans against Nico, taking a sip from his tea.  
Morning briefings with Fernando and Kimi are a daily routine and he is used to them by now, knows they are necessary to somehow make all of this work.  
Having breakfast in the huge dining room with the tall windows, the wooden walls, paintings, and the gold on the ceiling on the other hand? Not so much. 

He skypes with his mum after lunch, Nico not being back yet and Lewis pulls the laptop closer, smiling at her, his brother and his nephew.  
“Lewis.” His mum gives him a warm smile, “how are you doing?”  
“Good.” Lewis stifles a yawn and smiles as well, Roscoe and Coco snoring at his feet.  
“Visited a Kids Charity and a school today. It’s still a bit weird but we’re getting there.”  
“My Prince.” His mother smiles, she looks actually proud and Lewis tries not to roll his eyes, instead he smiles.  
“Mum...”  
“Yeah, yeah, I know, you don’t wanna be called that. But you’re dating the King, after all.”  
Why keeps everyone telling him that? Lewis knows this. Knows who he is dating. But for him, Nico rarely is “His Majesty, The King of Germany”, rather just Nico and he sighs inwardly.  
He knows he’s pretty alone with this opinion and they talk about a few different topics for a while, his mum updating him about the family gossip.  
“How does it feel to give all of this up for him?”, his brother suddenly asks him though and Lewis hesitates.  
“I’m not giving everything up for him, Nic. I still write for David, I still train my kids.”  
“I know, man. You know what I mean.”  
Lewis does and he knows they’re not judging - they’re just curious.  
“It’s...scary. But he’s worth it.”  
And it’s the truth. He loves Nico, so so much and he’s worth it. His mother just smiles, a soft look in her eyes.  
“We just want you to know that we are so proud of you darling. For all the things you do, your commitment to those charities and for caring so much.”  
“And for fucking the Ki-“  
“NICOLAS HAMILTON!” His mother looks absolutely furious and Lewis grins while his brother ducks away from their mother's stern glare.  
“Don’t you _dare_ and say those things in front of a minor! Lewis, darling, we will talk another time, yeah?”  
“Sure.”  
Lewis is still grinning when he closes his laptop and he leans his head back. He really misses his family sometimes.

“MICK! STOP RUNNING!”  
“NO, GEORGE WANTS TO KILL ME!”  
How old are they again? Lewis sometimes really doesn’t know and he rolls his eyes before sprinting after them, quickly catching up to George and pulling him away from Mick.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“He says I am in love with Alex!” George looks absolutely furious and Lewis raises an eyebrow.  
“Are you?”  
“Does it matter?!” George blushes and Lewis sighs. Teenagers. Even though George and Alex belong with Lando to the older ones they sometimes really don’t behave like it and he shakes his head.  
“Let him?”  
George just gives him a deadly glare before stomping back on the pitch to get the ball and Lewis sighs. He’s grateful they don’t treat him any different though - now that he’s officially dating the King. Which reminds him of something.  
“Boys!”  
They gather around him, looking at him expectantly and George raises his eyebrows, avoiding looking at Alex.  
“What?”  
God Lewis hates this. He normally never misses training no matter what his “duties” are now - he always makes sure to make it in time. He had a very heated discussion with Fernando about this in the beginning but he had gotten his way and Lewis sighs.  
“I won’t be able to hold training in December because I’m not in Berlin.” He swallows, silence answers him and Lando frowns.  
“Where are you?”  
“Munich and then Neuschwanstein.” Lewis feels really uncomfortable, especially when he sees their disbelieving stares and Stoffel looks at him excitedly.  
“The Fairytale Palace? That’s so cool.”  
Yeah, that one. Lewis sighs.  
“Toto will take over for the time I’m away and I want you all to behave, understood? Alex, you’re in charge - if I hear any complaints from Toto you’re all in trouble.”  
He looks at them seriously and they all nod quickly, Alex shrugging.  
“Don’t worry, I got this.”  
Lewis knows that. That’s why Alex is captain, he trusts him and the team listens to him. Still.  
“And-“  
“What if we don’t tho, are you going to throw us into the Tower?”  
Mick has a shit-eating grin on his face and George groans, rolling his eyes.  
“The Tower is for the British Royal Family, you dick.”  
“Germany doesn’t have one”, Pascal adds and Mick shrugs, still grinning.  
“So? We can do whatever we want.”  
“No, I’m just going to kick your ass”, Alex replies dryly and before Mick can say something, Lando nods.  
“Me too.”  
“Yeah, same.” George blushes, avoiding to look at Alex but steps next to Lando and they glare at Mick, who raises his hands defensively.  
“It was just a question.”  
Lewis, who watched their discussion with an amused smile, picks up one of the balls and throws it at Mick.  
“Come on, Stoffel and you pick teams.” 

“Do we have a Tower?”  
“A Tower?”  
“Yeah or something like that. One of the kids asked me today if we also have a ‘Tower of London’.”  
“We are not in London and we have prisons.” Nico raises his eyebrows, pulling Coco a bit closer so she’s on his lap, snoring peacefully. “Like every other country.”  
“And where did your ancestors keep their prisoners?” Lewis frowns, playing with Rosoces ears and cuddles himself under the fluffy blanket.  
They’re flying to the US tomorrow and they have to get up early to catch their plane at the airport.  
Another thing Lewis had to get used to were no charter flights anymore. He’s part of the Royal Family now which means he has to travel with their private plane and a grin plays around Nico’s lips.  
“Why? You wanna imprison someone without a trial?”  
“Funny”, Lewis comments dryly and gently kicks Nico’s legs under the blanket. “The kids asked today what would happen to them if they didn’t behave while I’m away.”  
“And you threatened to imprison them??” Nico stares at him before he starts laughing and Lewis glares a bit more.  
“No. Alex said he would kick their asses.”  
“He’s a good kid.”  
“He is. I’m really glad they’re not treating me any different now that...you know. It’s nice.” Lewis smiles, still playing with Roscoe's ears and Nico grins.  
“Love hearing my people treat you well.”  
“Can you stop calling them that? They’re not _your_ people!” Lewis loves Nico, he really does but when he says stuff like this-  
“Angela Merkel says that too!”  
“Yes, but Angela Merkel was _elected_ by her people to lead them while you’re just ... there.”  
“Wow, thanks.” Nico looks at him offended and Lewis can’t help a smirk forming on his face.  
“Come on, we should sleep. I don’t want Fernando to yell at us tomorrow because we are late for the flight.” 

The next morning they are not late, Fernando is happy and when Lewis falls next to Nico on his seat, he still finds traveling on a private plane weird.  
Nico next to him calms his anxiety a bit though and he puts his head on his fiancé's shoulder (they haven’t made it official yet though. There are only rumors).  
He knows Max likes to fly his plane himself and somehow Lewis is really glad Nico never went to the Airforce. Not that he doesn’t trust him. But Nico flying a plane over the Atlantic? God help them.  
They have departed by now, Fernando running them step by step through the event (more for Lewis’s sake, Nico is on Twitter) and Lewis is tired.  
“There is an article about your Style”, Nico suddenly comments and Fernando frowns, looking confused.  
“My style?”  
“No not yours, Lewis’s.” Nico grins and Lewis swallows, his mouth suddenly very dry.  
“What?” Nico just hands him the phone and Lewis quickly skims over the article.  
_‘Future Prince Lewis Hamilton is bold in everything he does and not afraid to take risks.’_  
The actual fuck?! He checks for the name of the author and groans when he sees it’s from Nicole. Really now?  
She used pictures of him during events and - his blood runs cold - one from Toto's birthday party. Where he wore that horrible red suit. She labeled his outfit as ‘swanky’ and Lewis shakes his head when he reads the next line.  
_‘But overall, he has a cool and sophisticated style that speaks to a new generation of fans and aspirational streetwear icons.’_  
“The fuck?” Lewis snorts and Valtteri grins.  
“You do have style.”  
“Get used to it, at least they’re just criticizing your outfits.” Nico gives him a warm smile while taking his phone back, Lewis is still a bit speechless.  
“Nicole published an article about my style. _My style_ , Nico! Why is that interesting?”  
Fuck, does this mean that he always has to actually put effort into his looks now? Make sure he knows what he’s wearing when he leaves the house (palace) and not just throw some random old shirt on? The things he does for Nico.  
“You’re a public figure now.” Kimi shrugs and Fernando clears his throat.  
“Can we _please_ get back to the matter at hand? The State Dinner?”  
“There are rumors that Russia wants its monarchy back.” Nico completely ignores Fernando, not even looking up from his phone and Kimi frowns.  
“They want a Tsar again? Didn’t it end a bit bloody the last time?”  
“As if Putin would agree to that”, Lewis adds and Nico shrugs, still scrolling through Twitter.  
“Yeah, but they see the hype about the Royal Families right now thanks to us”, he smirks, “so they want that as well. But the sources say Putin apparently only wants them as his puppets to show off.”  
“Oh boy”, Lewis mumbles. “Are there even any Romanovs left? I thought the whole family got shot by the Bolsheviks in 1918?”  
“They did but apparently Anastasia, the youngest daughter, could flee.” Nico shrugs and Kimi raises his eyebrows.  
“Sounds all very fishy to me.”  
“Well there is this guy - Daniil - who’s apparently related to Anastasia and they try finding him right now but what do I know.” Nico leans back, running a hand through his hair. “Doubt they find anything though.”  
“Great, any other country that wants to return to the 19th century? France, maybe?”, Lewis asks dryly. “Should we try and find their heir to the throne as well?”  
While Kimi snorts, not being able to hold back a grin, Nico rolls his eyes.  
“No, France has no long lost heir to the throne and that’s for the better given the fact that they always started stupid shit when they had a King.”  
“Oh and Germany didn’t?”  
“Shut up, Lewis. You really need to work on that “hating the royals” attitude, you’ll be Prince of Germany.” Nico winks at him and Lewis bites his lips, blushing slightly.  
He feels warm when Nico talks about their wedding but he’s still nervous. Nervous to fail, nervous to take on a role he doesn’t think he’s fit for and he takes a deep breath.  
“How do you know about this Daniil anyway?”, he asks, trying to distract himself from the anxiety and Nico gives him a small smile.  
“Charles said that but I’m not really sure if I wanna trust him with stuff like that.”  
Lewis distinctively remembers who Charles is - Crown Prince of Monaco and all - but he has never met him. Sure, he was probably at Nico’s coronation but Lewis had been a bit busy there with the fact that his boyfriend _had been crowned King of Germany_.  
“What I find more interesting than some mysterious Russian heir though is the fact that Carlos is back.”  
“Who’s Carlos?” Lewis is confused, he still doesn’t know all the royals from Europe - if that Carlos even is one.  
“ _Prince_ Carlos”, Fernando says pointedly, “is the Crown Prince of Spain.”  
“He was in America for four years, studying and all”, Nico explains, “haven’t seen him in a while.”  
Lewis just nods, a bit overwhelmed with yet another new name and he pulls Coco on his lap. They always take the dogs with them when they travel and Lewis thinks they’re probably more spoiled than the Queen’s Corgis. He loves carrying the two through the palace, making sure they get everything they need and they help him to deal with the anxiety.  
“So, the State Dinner.” Fernando clears his throat, ignoring Nico's eye roll and turns to Lewis.  
“We arrive at the White House at 8 pm...”

Lewis doesn’t know who thought it’d be a good idea to place him next to Donald Trump on a State Dinner in the White House.  
Probably his PR lady, to show “oh look the president sits next to the black boyfriend of the King of Germany, of course he isn’t racist!” - yeah, sure.  
Everyone knows he doesn’t like the guy, he has published critical articles about him for fuck's sake and now he’s supposed to chat with him over the garden of the White House? Lewis would rather not. But he also can’t just ignore him, that would just be rude and Lewis is a polite person.  
“So you’re from Africa then?” Trump looks at him with narrowed eyes and Lewis takes a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.  
His patience is really tested this evening, having successfully steered the conversation away from attacking Iran to Golf (he hates Golf but that’s still better than politics with this guy) and Lewis throws a longing look at Kimi and Valtteri who chat with a few other bodyguards, occasionally looking over to them.  
God he envies Fernando who stayed in their hotel and is probably watching some Spanish telenovelas right now while ordering room service.  
How is Lewis supposed to explain to the _President of the United States_ that just because he’s black it doesn’t mean he’s from Africa, not all black people are from there, he has Jamaican roots for fucks-  
“I’m actually from Stevenage in the UK”, he hears himself say dryly. “But I have ancestors in Wakanda.”  
It’s dead silent for a second, Lewis giving him a fake smile. He has to get that, he can’t be _that_ stupid-  
“Wakanda?”, Trump asks slowly and Lewis is so done. He didn’t get it but before he can stop himself, a “That country in Africa? I’m sure you’re having a trade deal with them”, slips out and Trump nods immediately.  
“Oh yeah we have a huge trade deal with Wakanda, great country, great people”, he says and Lewis is close to hitting his head against the table. He can’t be serious, can he?  
But Trump keeps bragging on about it and Lewis swallows when he sees the camera on them - he’s pretty sure the internet will know about it by tomorrow.  
He asked the fucking President of the United States about Wakanda and- but it’s not his fault he’s that stupid and he really doesn’t feel like explaining now.  
Maybe that gets him a few plus points with the Germans then and he just nods from time to time, he’s absolutely not interested.  
His gaze meets Dan’s, the Aussie giving him a broad smile sitting between Max and the Canadian Prime Minister and Lewis forces himself to smile back. Why can’t he get someone nice?  
He also wouldn’t mind the Spanish King, what does he care and he only realizes he’s glaring at the President when he feels Nico’s hand on his thigh below the table.  
“Roscoe surely misses you”, he mumbles and Lewis grits his teeth. _Roscoe_ has kinda become their code word for “please shut up before you start a war now” and Lewis glares at him.  
“Fine. We would win that war by the way, the Queen likes me. I’m sure she and Max would help us”, he adds quietly and Lewis can see that Nico tries his hardest not to laugh.  
“That’s not how war works, baby.”  
“Says who.”  
“Me.”  
“We also have Kimi and Valtteri, they’re Finnish. See, another country.”  
“And because Dan is married to Max we have Australia as well?” Nico looks at him amused and Lewis grins.  
“No, we already have the whole Commonwealth thanks to Her Majesty-“  
“You’re using titles? Who are you and what did you do to my fiancé?”, Nico interrupts him, looking at him with fake shock and Lewis snorts.  
“Shut up, I’m just saying. America wouldn’t stand a chance.” Not that they’re serious.  
_Technically_ Nico could start a war. He’s the commander-in-chief for the military and the constitution even says he’s “Head of the Armed Forces”.  
But Lewis is probably the biggest pacifist out there and Nico smirks, gently squeezing his thigh again one more time. Just two more hours. 

“Did you really ask the President of the United States about Wakanda, mate?!”  
Max stares at him, a broad grin on his face and Lewis is still not used to the King of the Netherlands casually calling him ‘mate’.  
“Nico, I really like your boyfriend.”  
Lewis blushes at that, not really sure what to say.  
“He was racist, Lewis is excused.” Nico shrugs, pulling Lewis close and Dan snorts.  
“When is that asshole not. But nice one, mate.” He winks at him and Lewis can’t help but grin as well. “I try.”  
“There’s something else.” Nico’s eyes sparkle, it’s after dinner, the guests are all mingling with each other and they found themselves a quiet corner to talk in peace.  
Nico takes a quick look around to make sure no one is listening and that there’s no camera on them before he leans forward and takes Lewis’s hand.  
“We are engaged.”  
“Congrats you two.” Max grins and Lewis smiles. “Thank you.”  
“No one knows though - we wanna keep it a secret and make it official on the Winter Ball”, Nico adds and Dan nods immediately.  
“Yeah no worries, we won’t say anything. We are good at keeping secrets.”  
He winks at Max, slinging his arm around his neck and pulling him closer, gently kissing him. They look so incredibly comfortable that Lewis can’t help but smile and he leans against Nico. He can breathe a bit easier now, knowing that he doesn’t have to sit next to Trump for another two hours and Nico clears his throat when Dan and Max still kiss shamelessly.  
“I want you to be my best man”, he says and Max immediately breaks away from Dan, staring at Nico stunned.  
“Really??”  
“Yeah, why are you so surprised? I was yours too.”  
“Don’t know, I thought you’d take Kimi or Valtteri.” Max shrugs but there’s a happy smile on his face and Nico shakes his head.  
“I talked with them but they both didn’t want to, said it would be better if it’s you.”  
“So I’m only the third choice? Thanks, mate”, Max replies dryly and Dan kisses him softly.  
“Shut up and be happy they considered you at all.”  
“I’m-“  
Dan just shuts Max up with another kiss and Nico and Lewis look at each other with raised eyebrows.  
“Amazing.” 

“You look absolutely ridiculous.”  
“Shut up, Lewis.”  
“How many people have died in what you’re wearing right now?”  
“Fuck you.”  
“Well if you insist,” Lewis smirks, leaning against the wall and watches amused how Nico tries keeping a straight face.  
He’s wearing absolutely ridiculous clothes, getting painted for a new royal painting with him being king now and Lewis grins.  
“Now or later?”  
“Lewis!” Nico tries glaring at him but the amused spark in his eyes betrays him and the painter looks a bit unsure.  
“Your Majesty-“  
“Maybe we should take a break”, Nico interrupts him, forcing himself to smile and carefully places the ceremonial mantle on a chair.  
The painter hesitates (Lewis already forgot his name again) before he nods and as soon as he left the room, Lewis pushes Nico against the wall, kissing him.  
“Do you know how pretty you are?”, Lewis whispers, kissing his way down over Nico’s neck, keeping his hands pinned with one hand over his head.  
“Such a pretty boy.”  
Nico moans at that, wiggling a bit to get his hands free but he has no chance - not really. They rarely switch, but when they do Lewis enjoys topping him a lot and he smirks, pressing his leg against Nico’s crotch.  
“What do you want me to do to you, hm? Fuck you right here against the wall? Or rather on that ancient sofa over there?”  
He lets go of Nico’s hands and when he sees that his boyfriend still keeps them over his head, he grins.  
“Good boy.”  
He unbuttons Nico’s white dress shirt, kissing his way down and when he reaches his pants, he looks up.  
“So?”  
“Sofa”, Nico manages to say and Lewis’s grin widens, pulling him over. They both lose their clothes on the way and Lewis fishes the small bottle of lube from his pocket (he started carrying it around after Nico and he- well).  
He quickly puts some on his finger before inserting it and Nico throws his head back, moaning.  
“Fuck.”  
“So tight”, Lewis mumbles, slowly pushing in and out and he watches fascinated how Nico seems to fall apart below him. He’s a mess and when Lewis adds a second finger, Nico is panting.  
“Shit, Lewis-“  
He swallows, looking at him with hazy eyes and Lewis smirks.  
“My god, just look at you, _princess_.”  
“You’re really calling me _princess_?!”  
“You are the one wearing tights right now, _Your Majesty_.” Lewis smirks, adding a third finger and Nico groans, grabbing the ancient sofa a bit tighter.  
“Lew-“  
Lewis is really glad he also started carrying condoms with him and he removes his fingers, ignoring Nico’s protesting whine.  
“Easy, princess”, Lewis mumbles, rolling the condom on his dick and quickly lubing it up before positioning himself. “You’re ready?”  
Nico nods and Lewis pushes into him, slowly - he knows Nico likes it rough but he also doesn’t want to hurt him. He stills when he’s fully inside, carefully watching Nico’s facial expression and only when he gives him a small nod, Lewis starts moving.  
He sets a constant pace, he wants to hear Nico begging for more and he grips his hips, pulling him closer. Nico moans at the new angle, biting his lip and looking at Lewis through half-lidded eyes.  
“Lewis-“  
“Hm?” Lewis forces himself to keep his rhythm, even though he wants nothing more than just slam into him over and over again and Nico whimpers at the next thrust.  
“Lewis _please_ , just fuck me.”  
“But that’s what I’m doing, darling.” Lewis looks at him innocently, his grip tightening a bit though - Nico feels so fucking good and he tries to keep his voice even.  
“You need to be a bit more precise about what you want.”  
Nico looks for a second like he wants to argue but then Lewis slams into him a bit harder, all his resistance is gone in an instant and he whimpers.  
“Lewis, _please_ , fuck me harder, I _need_ you-“  
He keeps on babbling, being an absolute desperate, horny, mess and Lewis loves it. Loves it so much, that he is the reason behind this, that he has the _King of Germany_ completely submit to him and he groans, pulling out.  
“Of course, baby.”  
He fucks him harder and Nico nearly screams at the next thrust, apparently not caring if anyone hears them and Lewis moans, his orgasm coming closer.  
“God, do you have any idea how _good_ you feel, baby, you are so, so perfect, you- FUCK!” Lewis shouts when he comes and he collects himself a moment, breathing harshly and Nico whimpers.  
“Lew-“  
He’s a mess, sweating and Lewis quickly jerks him off, Nico coming with a hoarse scream and Lewis looks at him in awe.  
Takes in the absolute mess Nico is, his chest quickly rising and falling, the sweat on his forehead and cum on his stomach and he carefully slides out of him, dropping the used condom in the bin next to the door.  
Nico slowly sits up, wincing a little and Lewis pulls him into a soft kiss.  
“You’re okay?”  
“Yeah, don’t worry.” Nico waves dismissively, grimacing when he puts on his pants. “Just a bit sore.”  
He gives him a calming smile and Lewis’s exhales in relief, squeezing his hand. He turns around, ready to get dressed again and he nearly gets a heart attack when he comes face to face with a huge 18th-century painting, the man’s eyes staring directly at him.  
“Can we maybe next time not fuck while your great-great-great-grandfather is staring at us?”  
“That’s actually-“  
“No offense, _Your Majesty_ , but I really don’t care.”

It’s after lunch, Nico is god knows where and Lewis runs a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. The palace is way too big and he’s really glad when he runs into Fernando.  
“Have you seen Nico?”  
He tries to look casual, not like he just spent one hour searching for his boyfriend in that fucking castle and Fernando nods.  
“He’s in the throne room, doing-“  
“Okay, thanks!” Lewis turns around but before he can leave, Fernando grabs his arm.  
“And where do you think you are going?”  
“To the throne room?”  
“No.”  
“What ‘no’? I need to talk to him.”  
“You can’t, he’s having his audiences right now.”  
“It won’t take long, I just have a quick question-“  
“No. If you wish to speak with the King, get an audience like everyone else.” Fernando crosses his arms in front of his arms and Lewis stares at him incredulously.  
“I’m not getting an audience to speak with my _boyfriend_!”  
“Then you’ll have to wait till dinner.” Fernando shrugs, completely unbothered and Lewis snorts.  
“Who even still does that? Audiences?!”  
“Every royal Family in Europe.”  
"I'm sure Max doesn't."  
"Yes, he does."  
“Isn’t it a bit old-fashioned?”  
“It’s tradition. The people can get the chance to talk with their King, tell him about their worries and-“  
“And now in modern?”, Lewis interrupts him dryly and Fernando sighs.  
“Those people apply beforehand and can talk with him about things that are important to them, Nico then can address that in parliament. Sometimes they also want Nico to pardon one of their relatives who’s in prison, given the fact that the King is the only one in this country who can do that.”  
“Great. I still need to talk to him.”  
“Get an audience then.”  
“And where do I get that?” Lewis rolls his eyes, definitely annoyed by now and Fernando smirks.  
“Me.”  
“Lovely. Can I get one?”  
“Sure. The next free time slot is at 4 pm.”  
“That’s in two hours!” Lewis stares at Fernando, the Spaniard just shrugs.  
“Yeah. It’s busy today.”  
“You expect me to sit for _two hours_ in that ancient antechamber so I can talk to my _boyfriend_?!” Lewis is speechless and Fernando raises his eyebrows.  
“Do you want the one at 4 or not?” “  
Fine”, Lewis grumbles, glaring one last time before stomping into the direction of the antechamber.  
“This is absolutely ridiculous.”  
He ignores the other people in the room, dropping on some fancy chair and pulling his phone out. He needs to complain to Seb. 

Two fucking hours later (he still can’t believe he actually waited) it’s his turns and when he steps into the throne room and sees Nico on his throne, he swallows dryly.  
He would never admit it in front of his boyfriend but he likes the image of him sitting on that thing, it kinda turns him on and Nico raises his eyebrow when he sees him.  
“What are _you_ doing here?”  
“Fernando said I need to make an audience when I wanna talk to you.” Lewis snorts and Valtteri, who’s leaning next to Nico on the wall, laughs.  
“He’s unbelievable.”  
“You can always pop in”, Nico says dryly, shaking his head amused. “Between two people.”  
“Then tell him that!”  
“I will. Well, how can I help you?”  
“What do you want for dinner?” 

“I want you to be my best man.”  
Lewis keeps cutting tomatoes, not looking at Seb but he can feel him freeze next to him.  
“What?!”  
They’re alone in the palace, preparing dinner - Nico is in Sweden with Valtteri and Lewis really doesn’t like being alone in the palace, it’s too big - and Lewis shrugs, adding the tomatoes to the mushrooms.  
“I want you to be my best man”, he repeats, looking up now. Seb looks at him with raised eyebrows, a small smile around his face and Lewis swallows dryly.  
“Except you don’t want to, then-“  
“Of course I want to, you idiot!” Seb stares at him incredulously, still smiling before preparing the rice. “I just thought you’d take, I don’t know, someone more royal? Prince Daniel or Prince Charles.”  
“I don’t even know this Charles.” Lewis snorts, the name having reoccurred a few times already and he throws the mushrooms and tomatoes to the other vegetables in the pan.  
He told their chef, Grosjean, that he can take the evening off - Lewis really loves what he makes for them every day but he had wanted to cook himself tonight. He just wants to have a normal evening with his best friend - well, as normal as it can be when you’re in a palace and walk past paintings of the Royal Hohenzollern Family, Nico’s ancestors.  
“I would be honored, Your Highness.” Seb winks and Lewis throws the towel at him, glaring.  
“Don’t call me that. I’m not.”  
“But you will be soon.”  
“Yeah and that scares the shit out of me.” Lewis swallows, averting his gaze and making sure their vegetables don’t burn.  
“I’m worried that- I don’t know. I’m not enough. Fail. Fuck up.”  
“That’s bullshit man, since when do you have such doubts?” Seb raises his eyebrows and Lewis shrugs half-heartedly, still staring at the vegetables.  
“Don’t know. It’s just- they published an article about my family lately and I felt so uncomfortable Seb. My family is none of their business and when I’m his husband there will be even more articles and even more responsibilities and I don’t want to complain because I know what I got myself into and it’s just who Nico is, it’s his _job_ after all-“  
“But you’re still scared”, Seb concludes and Lewis nods. “Like hell. I try ignoring it and it’s fine most of the time, with only a few events a week but...fuck, I don’t know.”  
“Nico loves you”, Seb reminds him gently, they’re finished with cooking by now, having taken their plates to the couch and Lewis bites his lip.  
“I know, I love him too, that’s why I’m doing all of this. And don’t get me wrong, he’s helping with the anxiety, so do Coco and Roscoe and I really like Valtteri and Kimi, even Fernando is alright but- there is that Winter Ball in Neuschwanstein where we make the engagement official.”  
Lewis picks in his vegetables, not really hungry anymore and he looks up.  
“And every important person in Europe will be there. Do you know how scared I am that I will fuck up?”  
“You won’t.” They both look up at Kimi’s voice, their Head of Security leaning in the door and having a small smile on his face.  
“Kimi!” Seb waves him over, smiling when Kimi does and leans down to kiss him quickly.  
“Hey, _kulta_.”  
“You’re here? I thought you went with Nico and Valtteri?” Lewis is a bit confused but Kimi just shakes his head leaning against the couch.  
“As if Nico would leave you without security. But I also have to organize our trip to Munich and Neuschwanstein and I’m quite happy doing this without Fernando running around and telling me what to do.”  
Lewis hides his smile behind his glass while Seb pats his husband's arm compassionately and Kimi looks back at Lewis.  
“But you won’t fuck up, Lewis. The people love you, Nico loves you and even if you forget a rule, so what? All of them did at least once. Just this summer Dan forgot who the King of Belgium was and called the guy “mate” accidentally.”  
Kimi snorts while Seb bursts out laughing and Lewis bites his lip.  
“Yeah but it’s Dan, he can get away with it.”  
“And Nico came hungover to a State Dinner at Buckingham Palace and got drunk again there.”  
“He didn’t!” Lewis stares at Kimi incredulously, he somehow can’t believe that Nico, of all people-  
But on the other hand, he knows his fiancé has had a reputation.  
“Oh he did, his parents were furious. He was 20 back then and acted like a real, spoiled, brat.” Kimi shakes his head amused. “Poor Valtteri.”  
Lewis is still a bit speechless and Kimi gives him a long look.  
“What I wanna say with that, Lewis, is that just because they’re royals, doesn’t mean that they’re perfect. They all fuck up, they’re just better in hiding it than us normal people.” 

Nico didn’t really want to meet his parents but their castle is on the way back to Berlin and well- it would just rude not to visit. And he needs to tell them about the engagement anyway.  
He’s staying for one night before going back home tomorrow and they’re at dinner, having talked about mostly random things so far - their relationship is still a bit strained.  
Especially since Nico changed the government system and basically reduced his own power in parliament.  
To stay his mother was furious is an understatement - but there was nothing she could do and Nico picks at his food, not sure how to start this conversation.  
“You like it here?”, he asks and his mother gives him a reassuring smile.  
“We do, don’t worry. It’s close to the water and has a beautiful garden.” That’s nice.  
“Are you not lonely all alone in the big palace?”, his mother asks and Nico sighs.  
“No, Lewis moved in with me.” Then, knowing it’s not or never, he takes a deep breath.  
“I have to tell you something”, he says slowly, ignoring Valtteri's knowing look and his mother frowns while his father stays quiet.  
“What is it, dear?”  
“Lewis and I are engaged and we will make it official at the Winter Ball. The Wedding is next year in spring and”, Nico takes a deep breath, ignoring their shocked faces, “you’re both invited.”  
Absolute silence answers him and Nico tries to not let his nervousness show - he’s the King of Germany, for fuck's sake, he shouldn’t-  
“You really wanna marry this man?” His mother looks at him with raised eyebrows, distaste clearly audible in her voice and Nico crosses his arms in front of his chest.  
“I do. I love him.”  
“Don’t you think it’s going a bit fast?” His mother’s face turned sour and Nico sighs.  
“No.”  
“You really want to marry a _man_ , someone, who’s clearly hating the monarchy and everything we stand for?” His father looks pissed but before Nico can say something his mother nods.  
“I still find it absolutely unbelievable that you dedicated half of your coronation speech to some common man from London!”  
This is getting out of hand pretty quickly and Nico glares at her.  
“He is worth it, he-“  
“He talks you into giving up everything we stand for, everything our predecessors, your _grandfather_ , worked for, Nico!”  
His mother glares at him, an angry look in her eyes and Valtteri looks incredibly uncomfortable. Nico is just pissed and he takes a deep breath, trying not to let it get personal.  
“Listen, you don’t have to come and-“  
“We didn’t send you to prestigious universities for you to throw it all away and not leading your people!”, his father interrupts him coldly and Nico stares at him incredulously.  
“I am!”  
“No you’re not, you’re nothing more than an ordinary state representative now, waving and smiling at people but without power! That man got into your head, Nico, planting some ridiculous idea that monarchy is wrong and you started believing it because you’re in love. He just wants your money, wants to get into your head so you step down and this country becomes a pure democracy!”  
His mother looks absolutely furious.  
“You’re forgetting your duties, Nico.”  
“Don’t talk about Lewis like that”, Nico says quietly, a threatening edge to this voice. “And don’t you dare to tell me how to do my job. Lewis is nothing like that.”  
“No? Then what else is he than a poor, black man from London?!” His mother stares at him challengingly and Nico’s grip around his fork tightens.  
Power can do horrible things to people, his parents being the prime example and he takes a deep breath.  
“One more word about my fiancé and you’ll regret that.”  
“What are you going to do? Imprison us? I thought you’re such a fan of democracy suddenly.” His mother laughs scornfully and Nico’s eyes harden.  
“You will no longer be part of the Royal Family.”  
It’s deadly quiet for a second, his mother staring at him absolutely speechless.  
“You wouldn’t dare, I’m your _mother_ , the _Queen Mother_ -“  
“Try me”, Nico interrupts her coldly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Come to the wedding or don’t but leave Lewis alone. He’s the kindest, most generous and warm-hearted person I’ve ever met and definitely too good for this family.”  
“We do not approve.”  
“I don’t fucking care!” Nico snorts, shoving his plate away from and gets up. “I wasn’t asking for permission! I’m done, with both of you.”  
He doesn’t wait for Valtteri, just goes to the guest room and as soon as he’s alone, Nico sits down on his bed, burying his face in his hands. What the actual fuck.  
He’s the King of Germany but right now he doesn’t feel like it at all - rather like a teenager who just got told off by his parents.  
He knows things with Lewis and him move fast but he loves him, loves him so much and he knows it’s the right decision. And he knows Lewis loves him too.  
“Don’t listen to them.” He flinches when he suddenly gets pulled into a bear hug, not having realized Valtteri came into the room and he takes a deep breath, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.  
“Why are they like that, Val”, he whispers, “why don’t they want me happy?”  
“They don’t understand.” Valtteri strokes his hair calmingly and pulls him closer.  
“And they don’t want to understand because everything Lewis is, goes against their beliefs. A gay, vegan, black man with a poor background as Prince? Impossible.”  
He snorts and Nico takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the small doubts creeping into his head. Fuck his parents.  
“Don’t let them get in your head”, Valtteri says at that moment, seemingly sensing what he thinks and Nico smiles weakly. “They’ve always been good at that.”  
“I know, that’s why I’m telling you. They- god, Kimi gives the better pep talks but Nico, you’re the King of Germany!” Valtteri stares at him and Nico takes a deep breath.  
“I know. Don’t feel like it at the moment though.”  
“You stood up pretty well for yourself for that.” Valtteri smirks, running a hand through his hair. “Threatening the former Queen to kick her out of the Royal Family? Nice.”  
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to bite me in the ass one day.” Nico grimaces before he sighs, leaning against Valtteri. “Can we leave early tomorrow? I really miss Lewis.”  
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Valtteri winks at him, pulling his phone from his pocket and Nico breathes out in relief.  
“Call him, yeah?” Valtteri gets up, heading for the door. “I’m sure he can ease your mind a bit that he does not have an evil master plan to undermine your power.”  
Nico snorts at that, an actual smile forming on his face and he falls back into the pillows.  
“Thanks, Val.”  
“Always, Your Majesty.” 

“Have you ever been to Munich?”  
“You’re asking me that _now_?!” Lewis moans when Nico slams into him again and grips the table in front of the huge window a bit tighter, trying to ignore the hard. cold, wood under him.  
“Yeah.” Nico smirks, Lewis can see his blue eyes sparkle in the dark and he throws his head back, panting.  
He doesn’t even know how they ended up like this, fucking on some old table in front of the huge windows that overlook the palace gardens (he’s really glad it’s night) and Nico hums, letting his fingers wander over Lewis’s bare chest.  
“You’re so beautiful. And all mine”, he mumbles, his grip tightening and Lewis shivers.  
“I am.”  
He feels hot, even though he’s completely naked, sprawled over the table, moonlight shining on him and Nico moans, pulling him closer.  
“Just fucking _look at you_ , you’re a piece of art, belonging right here in that fucking palace, feeling so _good_ \- GOD!”  
Nico moans, Lewis just whimpers when Nico hits his prostate and his breathing quickens.  
“Nico, please, I need to-“  
He moans again, pushing himself even closer to Nico, biting his lip so hard he can taste blood.  
“How can you still be so fucking tight after I fuck you nearly every day?!” Nico sounds genuinely amazed, looking at him with so much love that Lewis nearly cries and he whimpers, looking at him pleadingly.  
“Nico, please-“  
He screams at the next trust, not caring anymore who hears them and he can feel Nico’s grip tightening even more.  
God, he will get bruises from that but he couldn’t care less and with the next thrust, he comes, moaning shamelessly and spilling over his stomach and desk.  
“You’re so fucking perfect”, Nico says with a hoarse voice, Lewis just looks at him exhausted. Nico comes soon after him and pulls out, Lewis sitting up, groaning.  
His back hurts like hell and he wants to slide down from the table when Nico’s eyes widen in shock.  
“Fuck, that is the table of Friedrich II. and you got cum on it!” He stares at the table and Lewis blinks before he can’t help himself and laugh.  
“Are you for real?”  
“Yeah.” Nico laughs as well, standing between Lewis legs who’s still sitting on the table (naked) and he pulls him into a long kiss.  
“I love you so much.”  
Lewis presses himself closer, kissing him back and buries his hands in his hair, not caring that he’s sitting on some god damn old table in Schloss Charlottenburg in the middle of the night, moonlight still falling through the window.  
As long as he has Nico he doesn’t need much more and when they break apart, panting, still slightly covered in sweat and with dried cum on him, Nico’s blue eyes sparkling, Lewis is nothing but happy in that moment.  
“God, I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can follow me on tumblr under verstappened x
> 
> I hope you liked this, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated and thanks for reading! ♥️  
> As mentioned above, the second part will come his week. 
> 
> as always please don't share this work with any of the people involved, it's all in good fun :) it's a work of fiction, don't take it too seriously. ♥️


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still tired and sick and should study for uni and this is not beta-read but anyway, have the second part! 
> 
> As mentioned, this got a bit angstier than I originally planned but with a Happy Ending so don't worry ♥️
> 
> There's also a bit of history in there (I hope it didn't get too confusing) and yeah, I just hope you have fun!

_DECEMBER 2021_

It’s the 1st December and the whole Royal Household travels to Munich, only a few guards staying behind in Schloss Charlottenburg and Lewis is nervous.  
This seems bigger than he already thought it would be and Lewis gets behind Nico in the car waiting for them at the runway, picking them up from the plane.  
Kimi, Valtteri, and Kevin shield them from the waiting journalists and when the door closes, Lewis takes a deep breath.  
Truth be told, he has been on exactly two State Dinners and one State Visit so far - and that had been to the Netherlands so that doesn’t really count. But he knows that as soon as they’re married he’s expected to accompany Nico to _every single one of them_ and he licks his lips nervously, trying not to freak out.  
They’re in the car, they’re driving, it’s just Kimi, Valtteri, Fernando, Nico and him, it’s all good.  
“Did you know that Max and I are related?”, Nico says suddenly while they’re driving on the highway and Lewis frowns.  
“Aren’t all European Royal Families somehow?”  
“Mhm. I’m born in Wiesbaden, from House of Nassau and well, Max-“  
“Is Prince of Orange-Nassau”, Lewis finishes and Nico grins.  
“Exactly. Some guy called Wilhelm went independent around 1568 though. Don’t ask me what Max is to me- probably some very distant cousin. But I’m also related to Charles, Carlos, and the British Royal Family.”  
“Royal Families are so incredibly complicated, I’m glad I didn’t have it that much during my studies.” Lewis snorts, shaking his head and Nico laughs.  
“I had to learn all of that and I still get confused. Bavaria had a King too, by the way. Maximilian I.”  
“Napoleon’s fault, I know about this.” Lewis rolls his eyes. “Another crazy King who conquered Europe.”  
“But Napoleon only came to power because the French Revolution - which makes him a product of Democracy.” Nico has that shit-eating grin on his face he has every time they argue about that and leans back in his seat.  
“It’s not the monarchy’s fault at all. Like, if they are stupid enough to overthrow their king, they should at least be aware of the possible consequences and have prepared a better alternative.”  
...okay he has a point and Lewis sighs, rolling his eyes. “Still.”  
Nico just grins, casually taking his hand and Lewis looks out of the window, seeing buildings fly past.  
“What hotel are we staying in?”  
“Oh, we’re not staying in a hotel,” Nico smirks and quickly checking his phone. “We are staying in Nymphenburg Palace.”  
“...what?”  
“You know how many castles and palaces there are in Germany.” Nico shrugs, a bit helplessly. “And they all belong to me.”  
“Spoiled.” Lewis raises his eyebrows, smirking and Nico glares at him. “I didn’t build them, I just got them.”  
“Mhm, sure. You have a castle in every fucking city you visit?”  
“In Germany, yes.”  
“Spoiled.”  
“Oh shut up!” Nico punches his arm before he pulls him into a kiss, completely ignoring the fact that three more people share the car with them and only when Fernando clears his throat, they break apart, both smiling.  
“Your Majesty, we are nearly there.” Fernando gives him a pointed look and Nico runs a hand through his hair, making sure it stays in place and Lewis looks out of the window again.  
They’re on a huge driveway, tall trees on the sides and on his left is a huge canal. When he sees the palace though, he gulps and all he can do is stare. It’s huge, a long white building and Nico, who seems to have noticed his reaction, smirks.  
“It’s bigger than Versailles.”  
“Holy shit”, Lewis mumbles, the car stops in front of the building and Kimi opens the door for them. All the servants and guards are already waiting for them, respectfully bowing their head when they leave the car and Nico takes his hand.  
“Your Majesty”, Fernando steps forward, “everything is ready, if you need anything, let me know.”  
“Thanks Nando.” Nico gives him a warm smile before walking up the stairs and Lewis follows him, still taking in everything he sees.  
The Royal Palace in Amsterdam this summer had already been impressive, but this? They’re standing in a bright reception hall, tall windows on every wall, the ceiling is painted beautifully, there are two chandeliers hanging from it and decorated Christmas trees are standing in the corners.  
“It’s been a while I’ve been here”, Nico says while they walk up even more stairs to the, what seems like, left wing. “I missed it.”  
“You ever lived here?”, Lewis asks while they’re walking through a long hallway, red carpet on the floor - he likes the palace. There are many windows, making it very bright and airy and Nico nods, passing a Roman statue.  
“While I studied in Munich.”  
“You lived in _Nymphenburg_?! As a student?” Lewis stares at him incredulously, not really believing him. He must be joking, right? Why-  
“Royal student”, Nico corrects him with a sad smile and opens a white door on their right. “I would’ve been happy with a flat close to uni but they insisted that I stay here.”  
He shrugs and Lewis takes a look around. They’re in a huge bedroom, tall windows that let them overlook the garden, everything is white and bright and Lewis steps on the cream-colored carpet, sinking on the huge bed. The palace is quite modern and he has to admit that he likes it.  
“It’s nice.”  
“It is, I loved it here. I mean, it doesn’t help to make friends when you’re already hanging with a bodyguard and everyone knows who you are, but well.” Nico shrugs, sinking next to Lewis on the bed and Lewis suddenly feels sorry for him.  
He knows his fiancé never asked for this and Valtteri has told him that Nico had been quite lonely sometimes as a child. He puts an arm around him, pulling him closer and presses a soft kiss on his cheek.  
“So what’s the plan for the next few days?”  
“I’m going to show you Munich.”

And they do exactly that. They have a bit of spare time before their ‘duties’, as Fernando calls them, and Lewis is not surprised that Nico takes him shopping first.  
They’re in a street that apparently has all the fancy shops (Lewis already forgot the name again) and Kimi, Valtteri and Kevin make sure they somehow get passed all the fans.  
“You really don’t have to buy me-“  
“Shut up and let me treat you.”  
And that was that.  
They drive through the city after that, eat Maroni (roasted chestnuts, Lewis decides he likes them) and visit the Residenz, a former royal palace. It’s gorgeous and fully modernized as well but Lewis prefers Nymphenburg - it’s still directly in the city but there at least no tourists.  
Their first appointment is at a Kids Foundation and Lewis is a bit nervous. There are so many people and he’s still a bit mad Fernando didn’t allow him to bring Coco and Roscoe to help him with the anxiety.  
Nico squeezes his hand reassuringly, then they start greeting people and Lewis slowly relaxes when he realizes they all don’t hate him.  
They’re actually really friendly and he smiles at a little girl.  
“Hey.”  
“Hello”, she whispers, nearly hiding behind her fathers legs, shyly handing him a picture. It’s a small drawing of - he supposes - Nico and him and the dogs, all wearing a little crown and Lewis has to swallow.  
“Anna made this in kindergarten for you and was very excited to show it to you, Your Highness”, her father explains amused, “especially because she has two fathers as well and now, with our King being gay and in a relationship, the other kids can’t say anything more.”  
Lewis is actually speechless, he can feel tears prickling in his eyes and he is tempted to hug the kid. But that’s against Royal Protocol, Fernando (and probably Kimi for security reasons) would kill him and he instead gives her a warm smile.  
“It’s beautiful, Anna. Thank you.”  
“Can you pet Roscoe for me?”, she asks shyly, blushing and Lewis nods.  
“Of course, I’m sure he would like that.”  
God damn it, Fernando, they should’ve taken the dogs with them.  
“Thank you, you’re my favorite Royal!” Anna grins at him, attempting a curtesy and Lewis has absolutely no idea what to say to that. He feels soft and he smiles at her again.  
“Thank you, love.”  
He moves on to shake more hands but his mind is still with the little girl and her two fathers. Did he really have an impact on someone? They don’t even know him, how-  
“Your Highness!”  
A boy, can’t be older than 14, waves him over, looking absolutely excited and Lewis smiles.  
“Hello.”  
“You are absolutely awesome!” The boy stares at him before quickly bowing and Lewis blinks.  
“...thanks?” How can they all be so positive, they don’t even know him-  
“You being vegan and caring so much about animals is so cool! I heard your speech at that school why being vegan is good and I did some research and I’m vegan as well now. Also I- never mind.”  
The boy blushes and Lewis raises his eyebrows, not being able to hide a smile.  
“What?”  
“I came out because of you. Well, also because of what King Max did but knowing my own King is gay and has such a cool boyfriend??”  
The boy shakes his head incredulously and Lewis is completely overwhelmed. This boy- he doesn’t know him and he somehow gave him the courage to do something so brave and-  
“And my parents took it so well! But hearing how the King talks about you and also how open you are with your sexuality gave me the confidence I needed!”  
The boy’s eyes are sparkling and Lewis swallows dryly.  
“I’m very proud of you.”  
He forces himself to smile, not getting emotional and the boy’s smile widens.  
“Thank you!”  
Lewis bites his lip, moving on after wishing the boy all the best and shaking more hands and talking with more people.  
None of them leave such a huge impact on him than Anna and the boy though and he swallows, a lump forming in his throat. He helped people without even knowing about them. His actions inspired people to do good, they actually _listen_ to what he says and he really doesn’t know how to deal with this.  
He doesn’t tell Nico about this, even though he’s sure his fiancé knows - he has that knowing smirk on his face when they go to bed and for the first time in months, Lewis doesn’t think that he’ll fail completely as Prince. Maybe he’ll do just alright. 

The next morning after breakfast they’re taking a walk through the Botanical Garden that belongs to Nymphenburg, taking the dogs with them. It snowed overnight and Lewis pulls his scarf tighter around him, holding hands with Nico while Roscoe chases Coco through the snow, barking excitedly.  
“How did you like the visit yesterday?” Nico eyes him with that knowing smile and Lewis shrugs, enjoying the cold morning air.  
“These people- Nico, they like me!”  
“Why wouldn’t they? You’re adorable.”  
“Shut up. How can they like me without ever having met me?” Lewis shakes his head, still not able to wrap his head around it and Nico smiles softly.  
“Because you’re a good person, Lewis. You’re kind, you care and they see that. And it’s a huge boost for the LGBTQ community of this country so of course they will show up and show their support.”  
Lewis is not really convinced and Nico sighs, pressing a quick kiss against his cold cheek.  
“Why are you so surprised?”  
“I don’t know.” Lewis shrugs helplessly and watches how Roscoe barks at some birds.  
“I just really didn’t expect that. Same goes for all the articles about me - there are such weird rumors! For example that I’m not really vegan or have a ‘dark past’. That one even had a video.”  
He grimaces and Nico stares at him for a second before he bursts out laughing.  
“Care to enlighten me about your ‘dark past’?”  
“They found out that I have a black belt in Karate and that the Dojo, where I did it, got raided last week. They forgot to mention though that I haven’t been there for over 15 years.” Lewis rolls his eyes, scoffing. “I don’t get it.”  
“It’s harmless, just ignore it.” Nico smiles at him reassuringly. “They don’t matter and you learn to ignore them with time.”  
They stop and Nico cups his face with one hand, smiling softly at him.  
“You’re the only one who matters to me.”  
He pulls him into a long kiss and Lewis can feel himself slowly relaxing, exploring Nico’s mouth with his tongue and he can’t help but smile.  
“You’re right. I’m sorry, I just- I’m not used to that.”  
“It will get better. First rule of being a Royal: never google yourself. Only gives you a headache.” Nico gives him a reassuring smile, kissing him again and Lewis grins.  
“I will try my best.”  
He whistles for the dogs and they’re slowly heading back for the palace, making plans for the day.  
“We could also-“  
Nico stops when Fernando greets them at the entrance, a grim expression on his face. “Nando, is everything okay?”  
“We need to talk.” Fernando turns around, heading inside again and Lewis gets a bad feeling, following the Spaniard into the palace.  
Kimi and Valtteri looking equally serious and Nico leans against the table, crossing his arms.  
“So? What is it?”  
“That.”  
Fernando hands him his iPad and Lewis leans over Nico’s shoulder so he can see as well. It’s the website of one of Germany’s biggest newspapers and the headline- 

_‘EXCLUSIVE: LEWIS HAMILTON CHEATING ON HIS BOYFRIEND THE KING OF GERMANY’_

_Trouble in paradise? Rumors of the couple having relationship problems sparked yet again when His Majesty was seen out in Munich with his boyfriend, Lewis Hamilton, both looking visibly uncomfortable and unhappy, avoiding looking at each other.  
An unnamed source claims now, that the soon-to-be Prince is cheating on His Majesty, even providing pictures (see below). Both men have been seen hanging out in Berlin last month and our Royal Expert-_

What the actual fuck. He can’t keep on reading, the pictures of Seb and him are just the cherry on the top and Lewis’s blood runs cold. He slowly turns to Nico, staring at him in horror.  
“Nico, I _swear_ , there is nothing, we are just friends, we were in a bar that evening, talking, we-“  
“I know, stop worrying”, Nico interrupts him, taking his hand, he looks concerned and exchanges a quick look Kimi, Valtteri, and Fernando. “How long is this going around?”  
“Bwoah.” Kimi shrugs, surprisingly calm for the fact that his husband is apparently cheating on him with the King’s boyfriend, “I don’t know, yesterday evening, I think? I would normally say ignore it but the rumor is spreading like wildfire.”  
Oh god. Lewis feels sick and while Fernando nods, he pulls his hand back.  
“I...I need to call Seb.”  
He nearly storms out of the room, wandering aimlessly through the palace for a few minutes until the panic attack, that had been building up inside of him, passes and he finds Coco in one of the spare rooms.  
He pulls her on his lap, running his fingers through her soft fur and fishes for his phone, calling his best friend.  
“Lewis, all good?”  
“No.” Lewis doesn’t realize that he’s crying until he feels something wet drip on his hand and he clears his throat, trying desperately to keep his voice normal.  
“Fuck, Seb, they- they said-“  
“Are you crying?” So much for that plan.  
“No. Maybe. Fuck, I do but-“  
Lewis sniffs, angrily wiping his eyes and trying to form a sentence that makes sense.  
“The press thinks I am cheating on Nico. With you”, he whispers and it’s quiet for a moment before Seb starts laughing.  
“That’s absolutely ridiculous, who came up with that bullshit?!”  
“I don’t know but the rumor is spreading and they have pictures and fuck, Seb, I read the article, whoever wrote this knows how to manipulate someone!”  
Lewis runs a hand through his hair, desperation spreading through him and he bites his lip so hard he’s bleeding.  
“What pictures?”  
“Two of us where we went to that bar two weeks ago and I lean in to tell you something because it was so loud. We are smiling and laughing, I don’t know, you _could_ misinterpret them but- They also claim- they also say I’m unhappy with Nico and used pictures where we both look stressed.”  
His heart clenches at that though and he grips the sheets, pulling the blanket over him. He just wants to disappear.  
“Assholes”, Seb mumbles and Lewis draws in a shaky breath.  
“Seb-“  
“I’ll handle it, don’t worry.” There’s a determination in Seb’s voice Lewis knows from him talking about his cases and he swallows.  
“What are you going to do?”  
“I’m a lawyer, Lewis - as I said, don’t worry.”  
Seb hangs up and Lewis curls himself into a ball, pulling Coco closer. She’s still snoring, sleeping peacefully and running his hand through her fur helps. Fuck.  
He has a few concerned messages from his mum and brother, meaning the rumor already spread to the UK- he doesn’t even want to read them. Fucking great. Why is his life such a mess? Why did he ever agree to this, think this was a good idea?  
Because he loves Nico. Because he loves Nico so fucking much and Lewis buries his face in his hands, trying to stay calm.  
He learned to live with ridiculous rumors, even being able to laugh about them but that article is on a whole new level.  
They’re damaging his reputation on purpose, spreading lies about him and it makes him feel so incredibly helpless. Why would people accuse him of such things??  
Of course he knows how journalism works, is aware that those people want to generate clicks - he worked in that field for multiple years after all.  
But he never just _assumed_ things, always using facts and when he sees Toto’s name appearing on his phone he turns it around - he’s really not in the mood to talk to him right now.  
He hears the familiar sound of paws on parquet and not a second after Roscoe comes in, jumping on the bed with a heavy sigh and cuddling up. Lewis’s throat tightens and he presses a soft kiss to his head.  
“Hey boy.”  
Roscoe just grumbles, falling asleep pretty quickly and Lewis takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach.  
He has never felt more helpless than right now, never felt more powerless and he absolutely hates it.

“Do we know who that ‘unnamed source’ is?” Nico crosses his arms in front of his chest, ignoring the worry for Lewis spreading through him - they need to fix this before anything else.  
He normally doesn’t mind the rumors, has learned to live with them but he won’t let anyone attack his boyfriend, his relationship, and his reputation like that Fernando sighs.  
“No. We called the newspaper but they don’t want to tell us anything.”  
“Fucking great”, Nico mumbles, running a hand through his hair. He has a suspicion, an ugly doubt growing in his stomach and he takes a deep breath.  
“Release a statement, fix this.”  
“Tell them that Seb is married to me”, Kimi adds and Nico stares at him incredulously. He knows how much Kimi values his privacy and he raises his eyebrows.  
“Are you sure you want this?”  
“There is no other way.” Kimi sighs, a pained expression in his eyes but it’s quickly replaced by his usual poker face.  
“If I learned one thing working for you it’s that the only way to fight such a story is with an even better one, right? So do that. It’s my marriage after all.”  
It’s quiet for another second before Fernando starts typing and when he’s done, he hands his phone out for both of them to read. 

_“Regarding recents events, the Royal Family is denying that His Majesty’s boyfriend, Lewis Hamilton, is cheating on His Majesty with Sebastian Vettel. In fact, Sebastian is happily married to our Head of Security."_

“You have a cute picture of you two?” Fernando looks at Kimi expectantly and Kimi frowns.  
“Picture?”  
“To make it more believable? _Madre mía_ , Kimi, come on!” Fernando sounds impatient and Kimi glares before he hesitantly pulls out his phone.  
“How private-“  
“No nudes”, Fernando interrupts him sharply and Kimi is actually speechless. “I don’t even have nudes!”  
“That’s a lie, everyone does, just give me a Selfie what do I know.”  
“I don’t do selfies.”  
“Seb does though”, Valtteri throws in, a small grin playing around his face. “Saw it on your phone the other day.”  
The glare Kimi gives him is deadly, visibly pissed that Valtteri betrayed him like that and he searches for a moment before sending something to Fernando.  
“ _Gracias_ , wasn’t that hard was it- my god, Kimi that’s adorable!” Fernando stares at his phone in shock and Kimi defensively crosses his arms in front of his chest.  
“Why are you so surprised?”  
“He’s even _smiling_!” Fernando incredulously shows them the picture and even though Nico is still pissed, worried and nervous he can’t help but smile.  
It really is a private selfie, Kimi and Seb being on some beach - probably their trip to Aruba this summer.  
While Seb smiles broadly into the camera, Kimi looks at Seb like he’s the most precious thing in the world, smiling softly and Nico raises his eyebrows.  
“Great, add that. Also, write that Lewis and I are happy, thank you very much.”  
“Of course.” Fernando types again and Nico takes a deep breath, massaging his temples.  
“You’re okay?”, Valtteri asks him quietly and Nico nods.  
“Yeah. Just never thought we would have that much drama, I-“  
His phone rings and he sighs when he checks who it is.  
“Hey, Max.”  
“What the actual fuck.”  
“Yeah, same.” Nico sighs again, taking a sip from the coffee Kimi hands him.  
“I don’t know who came up with that bullshit but I’m pissed. Lewis is a mess.”  
“Sue them, mate, like what the fuck?! Lewis is an angel, he loves you, why would he cheat on you?!” Max snorts, he sounds just as pissed and Nico can’t help but smile, glad to know his friend has his back.  
“Pretty sure that’s what Seb is doing right now anyway”, he comments dryly. “But thanks.”  
“Of course, we need to stick together, mate. If you need anything, let me know - we can also host some dinner shit or whatever where you can be all lovey-dovey.”  
“‘Dinner shit’?” Nico actually has to laugh at that and he shakes his head amused.  
“Language, Your Majesty.”  
“Fuck you, I’m pissed. Anyway, write me okay?”  
Max hangs up and Nico stares at his phone, blinking confused. This guy is unbelievable, he still doesn’t know how Dan was the one swearing in church and not Max and Fernando clears his throat.  
“I published the statement, we should be alright now.”  
“Good. If you excuse me, I need to call my mother.” He ignores the shocked looks on their faces, turning around and leaves the room, already dialing.  
“Honey, how lovely you’re calling-“  
“Save it”, Nico interrupts her sharply. “Are you behind that article about Lewis cheating on me?”  
“Darling I’m so sorry you have to get to know about it this way-“  
“Don’t. Are you or are you not?” Nico is fuming by now and he hears his mother laugh.  
“Why would I do that?”  
“Maybe because you don’t want us to marry?!”  
“I do but that would be quite drastic measures, don’t you think?” She scoffs and Nico hesitates, knowing she has a point. The doubts are still there though and he grits his teeth, staring out of the window in to the park.  
“Mother, I swear-“  
“You shouldn’t concern yourself with such petty drama, Nico, you have a country to lead.”  
“Are you really saying I’m not doing my job properly?” Nico’s voice got a threatening edge and he hears her sigh.  
“No, I’m _worrying_ about you, son! Your grandfather didn’t unite this country so you could give it up for the next best man!”  
“I’m not giving up my country!”  
“You are, you are nothing more than a goddamn puppet in their game.”  
“I am the fucking _King_ of Germany and if I wanted, I would still have all the power!”  
Nico remembers now why he normally never calls his mother and he balls his hand to a fist, praying that no servant is around who could hear him shouting at his mother. On the other hand? He couldn’t care less.  
“Whatever you say, Nico. Just don’t forget the duty you have to your country.”  
She hangs up and Nico stares at the phone incredulously, absolutely speechless. Well, that had been fucking useless.  
He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down before going to the kitchen. Lewis is still a mess, he still needs to find him somewhere in this god damn palace and Nico sighs before he starts making some tea.  
After that he wanders through the long hallways, trusting Fernando, Kimi and Val enough to handle the drama from here and he rolls his eyes annoyedly when he opens another door to an empty room.  
“Why is this thing so fucking big”, he grumbles but stops when he enters another empty bedroom.  
Except that it isn’t empty anymore, Lewis is cuddled up on the huge bed with Roscoe and Coco by his side and Nico’s heart breaks when he sees the dried tears on his cheeks.  
“Hey”, he says quietly, “can I come in?”  
Lewis just nods, patting on the free spot next to him and moving Roscoe a little so they have some space.  
“Sorry for bailing out on you like that”, he says, his voice is hoarse and Nico pulls him in a quiet hug. “I just panicked and needed to talk with Seb and- why would they say such things?”  
Lewis looks at him, a sad look in his eyes and Nico’s heart breaks a second time.  
“Because they’re assholes”, he simply says and Lewis sighs, leaning his head against the headboard.  
“I know. And I know how those ‘gossip journalists’ work - just never thought I’d ever have something to do with them.” He scoffs and Nico kisses him softly.  
“I made you tea”, he suddenly remembers and the smile Lewis gives him makes everything inside of him tingle.  
“Thanks.”  
“Do you want to stay here today? We don’t have to go out, we can just watch Netflix or annoy Fernando and Kimi-“  
“I want to go out”, Lewis interrupts him, a small smile appearing on his face.  
“Hiding won’t help and what better way to prove them wrong than us being out in public together?”  
Nico looks at him for a moment, not being able to hide the admiration in his eyes. He really got lucky with him.

“The press loves Seb and you.” Fernando looks satisfied and Nico laughs while Kimi just shrugs, looking unimpressed.  
“I don’t really care.”  
The tension has left them a bit, the media absolutely going crazy over the “adorable palace love story” (Fernando has mentioned the fact that Seb had no idea what Kimi actually does as a job and how they found out) and Lewis picks in his vegan curry with rice.  
Not that it isn’t good, Romain is an absolutely amazing cook and he’s lucky that the French also knows many vegan meals, but he still needs a bit of time to digest everything that happened.  
“So. Tomorrow. Your uni lecture.” Kimi crosses his arms in front of his chest, looking at them and Nico raises his eyebrows.  
“Yeah?”  
“It was a nightmare to organize, especially because some people”, Kimi is glaring at Fernando, “insisted that they come along to give me “advice” on how to do my job but we made it work. Every student will go through a security check before entering the lecture hall, you have 2 hours from then on.”  
“Okay, I can work with that.” Nico shrugs and Lewis frowns, leaning back in his seat.  
“What is your lecture about anyway?”  
“The political differences between the British and the German monarchy.“ Nico smirks and Lewis stares at him for a second before he starts laughing.  
“Of course it’s about monarchy.”  
“Hey, I studied Politics and International Relations and have a PhD in it, I’m good at that.” Nico raises his hands defensively before looking at Kimi. “Anything else?”  
“Security will be in the whole building and roads are already blocked, we take the helicopter to Neuschwanstein the morning after.”  
“Great.”  
“We have a helicopter?” Lewis raises his eyebrows and Valtteri nods.  
“Mostly for shorter flights or to locations that don’t have an airport.”  
“Unbelievable”, Lewis mumbles. “And that is your old Uni we are going to tomorrow?”  
“Mhm. It was a nightmare back then to figure out a security system to keep him safe.” Kimi scoffs and Valtteri nods in agreement.  
“I was with him the whole time and there was a lot of security in Munich during those three years.”  
“I’m pretty sure they were all glad when I went to Helsinki.” Nico grimaces before he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “But I liked it here, the city is beautiful.”  
“Hmm, I like it too.” Lewis smiles, his mind involuntarily wandering back to the little girl and the boy he met a few days ago and he instinctively hopes they haven’t been influenced by those rumors.  
“There is something we need to talk about. Two things, actually.” Nico’s voice makes him look up and Lewis bites his lip, not sure if that’s something good or bad.  
“What is it?”  
“Well,” Nico smirks, taking a sip from his glass and hesitates for a second. “You know that when we marry, you get a title.”  
“Yes?”  
“You won’t just become Prince - you’ll also be a Duke. And you need a city.” Nico grins, his gaze softening.  
“Our rules are not as strict as the ones for the British Royals which means you can choose. Given the fact that the city is not taken already of course.”  
Lewis stares at him, blinking. He will be a Duke? And he thought it couldn’t get any more ridiculous.  
“I don’t know?” He sounds a bit helpless but he also couldn’t care less. “Like how do you even chose that, I-“  
“Just suggest something”, Nico interrupts him softly, taking his hand. “Whatever you want.”  
“I like Munich, I guess?” Lewis shrugs helplessly, missing the quick look Kimi exchanges with Nico and Fernando nods, typing on his iPad.  
“Munich is free.”  
“Then you’ll be the Duke of Munich.” Nico grins, seemingly satisfied with his choice and Lewis sighs. “Great, what’s the other thing?”  
“After we announced our engagement at Neuschwanstein, you’ll have to give a speech.”  
“ _What_?!” Lewis nearly chokes on his curry and Valtteri gently pats his back while Lewis grabs his glass and gulps down the water. “Why?!”  
“Because you’ll be the future Prince of Germany and my husband.” Nico shrugs, keeping on eating his rice and curry.  
“It’s tradition.”  
He is an absolutely terrible public speaker and Lewis groans, burying his face in his hands. This is a disaster. 

Lewis has to admit that Nico’s old University is pretty and he watches how the students enter one by one, chatting excitedly and throwing cautious glances at all the security guards from time to time.  
Lewis is a bit hidden on the side, sitting between Kevin and Fernando and he leans back, actually getting excited himself - it’s been a while that he has been in a lecture hall himself.  
At exactly 4 pm the hall is completely packed and a man steps in front of the crowd, a broad smile on his face. He quickly welcomes the students before announcing Nico and when his fiancé comes through the door, smiling as well, Lewis can’t help but be proud - especially when he hears the students cheer.  
Nico takes the microphone from the man, letting his gaze wander over the crowd. He’s still smiling but it’s not his ‘Royal Smile’ as Lewis likes to call it - that one is cold, a bit distant and definitely fake -, it’s a real smile that reaches his eyes and he looks genuinely _excited_ to do this.  
“As many of you already know, I’m Nico Rosberg - I studied Politics and International Relations here in Munich and in Helsinki and got a PhD in it - and I am the current reigning King of Germany. As my boyfriend would say, that probably makes me a little biased about this topic.”  
Nico winks at him, the students laugh and Lewis fondly rolls his eyes, not being able to stop the smile spreading over his face.  
“He’s here tonight by the way and I have to be careful what I say or he won’t let me hear the end of it.”  
Nico nods in Lewis’s direction, hundreds of students turn and look at him, cheering when they spot him next to Fernando and Lewis waves awkwardly, blushing.  
“No, I’m serious”, Nico says in that moment, still smiling.  
“Lewis is brilliant, has graduated with honors in Politics and History from Oxford so he could easily do this lecture himself. But I’m not here to talk about my boyfriend - which I could for hours, believe me -“, Nico grins again, taking a quick look at his notes, “but about the political differences between the British and the German Monarchy....” 

Nico is done nearly two hours later, answering some questions from students and Lewis has to admit that it was a brilliant lecture. Nico is funny, knows what he‘s talking about and how to engage a crowd and it’s easy to listen to him.  
He’s a good public speaker but Lewis still has made a list of mental bullet points he didn’t quite agree with and when they get in the car, Lewis raises his eyebrows.  
“Did you really say-“  
“Can we have sex and cuddles first and then go for dinner where you can yell at me?”  
“I’m not _yelling_ -“  
“Yes, you are.” Nico grins, pulling him in a gentle kiss and when he looks at him, there’s nothing but love in his eyes. “I love you but let’s have dinner first, okay?”  
“Yeah, yeah, I love you too, stop distracting. You said that-“  
“Can you please shut up?”  
“Make me.”  
“Oh, with pleasure.”

Kimi is sometimes really glad that he can just move up the privacy wall in the car and he turns up the volume of the radio, drowning out the moans that come from the backseat. Maybe he should ask for a pay raise. 

Dinner is tortillas with veggies and vegan cheese, they discuss Nico’s lecture and probably bore everyone else to death with it - even though Fernando, Kimi and Valtteri are used to it by now - and when they’re walking up to their room later that evening, Nico suddenly stops.  
“Are you up for a little adventure?” He turns to Lewis, his eyes are sparkling and Lewis frowns.  
“What do you have in mind?”  
“I wanna show you something. Not in the palace though, we would have to sneak out.” Nico winks at him and Lewis hesitates for a moment before he can’t help but grin.  
“The King sneaks out of the palace? Without telling anyone? Daring”, he comments and Nico snorts, taking his hand and pulling him along.  
“Come on!”  
They get their coats and jackets, it’s already dark outside and Nico puts a finger to his lips.  
“We have to sneak past a few guards but I know how we get out unseen.”  
Somehow Lewis is pretty sure that this is not the first time Nico sneaks out of this particular palace, especially when they squeeze themselves through a hidden door in the wall that’s surrounding the palace.  
No one saw them and Nico grins, cheeks red from the cold and he looks so happy and free that Lewis can’t help but smile. They take a taxi and when they stop in front of the Residenz, Lewis raises his eyebrows.  
“We sneaked out of the palace to get into another one?”, he comments dryly but Nico just shakes his head, pulling him along. “No.”  
They enter the Court Garden, it’s completely empty and Lewis checks his phone. It’s past midnight in December, bitter cold with snow laying around them and just when Lewis wants to asks him what they’re doing here except freezing to death and unleashing Kimi’s eternal wrath on them, Nico stops.  
“We’re here because of this.”  
They’re standing in front of a huge stone pavilion, 8 pathways leading straight to it and Lewis swallows dryly. There are small, decorated, Christmas trees standing in each corner, fairy lights give the whole thing a romantic touch and Nico smiles softly.  
“It’s a temple for the goddess Diana”, he explains but Lewis is not really listening to him.  
It’s beautiful, the snow, the lights, the pavilion and they’re completely alone.  
He pulls his phone from his pocket and before Nico can say something, the first lines of the song he chose on his iPhone come on Lewis takes Nico’s hand.  
“Dance with me?”  
“Now?! Here?”  
“Yes.”  
Lewis’s breath is forming in a small cloud in front of him and he pulls Nico close, slowly moving to the music. 

_When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid  
Oh, I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me_

“This is insane”, Nico mumbles but he’s smiling and Lewis pulls him closer, unintentionally taking the lead and kissing him softly.  
“We have to practice after all, no? For our wedding dance.”  
Everything in him feels so warm when he thinks about marrying this beautiful man in front of him and Nico laughs quietly.  
“We do.” 

_So darlin', darlin', stand by me  
Oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand  
Stand by me, stand by me_

It’s still freezing, snow starts falling softly and Lewis can feel the cold creep into his bones. He doesn’t really care though, just pulls Nico closer, breathing in his familiar scent and slow dancing with him in the pavilion.  
They are in their own world right now, without any duties, titles or responsibilities. In that moment Nico isn’t King of Germany and Lewis is not some common journalist from London he proposed to - at that moment they’re just them. Nico and Lewis.  
They exchange soft kisses from time to time, Nico still looking at him like _that_ and Lewis has never been happier, wishing that this moment could last forever.  
“Are you two trying to get yourself killed?”  
A dry voice makes both of them flinch and they turn around so quickly Lewis is sure he heard some bones crack.  
Kimi is leaning against one of the columns, his arms crossed in front of his chest, a sour expression on his face and Lewis wants to say something when he sees the soft look in Kimi’s eyes.  
“Kimi, you here? What a surprise”, Nico says weakly, taking Lewis’s hand and Kimi snorts, pushing himself off from the column.  
“Did you two idiots really think I wouldn’t notice?”  
“Did you just call me an idiot? Kimi, I’m your boss.”  
“No, I called both of you an idiot.” Kimi looks completely unimpressed, only raising one eyebrow and he nods to the path. “Get in the car.”  
And well, who are they to argue with Kimi?  
“I mean I wanted to ask you if we could come here...”, Nico starts when they’re in the warm car and Kimi snorts.  
“How on _earth_ are we supposed to keep people away from here?!”  
“Am I Head of Security or you?” Nico grins but shuts up when Kimis glare hits him in the rear view mirror and Lewis grins as well.  
He’s still cold but they’re holding hands, feeling like two teenagers being caught and he’s so happy, all the troubles from the past few days pushed to the back of his mind. He’s going to marry Nico.

Lewis has to admit he has never flown in a helicopter before and he’s a bit nervous when Nico, Valtteri and him enter it the next day.  
Kimi would, to his dismay, go with Fernando and Kevin and Lewis overhead him calling Seb this morning, complaining about it.  
“He always tells me what to do, Seb, he’s driving me insane! Just because he’s Senior Household Officer!”  
Lewis didn’t hear Seb’s answer but Kimi groaned and reloaded his gun, phone pressed between his shoulder and ear.  
“If I accidentally kill him you have to get me out of jail.” And that was that.  
Lewis is a bit nervous when they depart but as soon as he sees the castle in the mountains he’s actually speechless.  
Of course he has hear about Neuschwanstein before, has seen pictures of it - it’s one of the most known sights in Germany.  
The famous castle, built the Bavarian King Ludwig II. in the 19th century and never got to finish, looking like a fairytale castle.  
But seeing it in person now, landing in the huge inner courtyard, Lewis is actually speechless and he instinctively takes the hand Nico offers him to help him when he leaves the helicopter.  
“Holy shit”, he mumbles, looking around and taking everything in, every tower, all the stairs and windows and Nico grins proudly.  
“There were only 15 rooms finished when Ludwig died - or killed himself or whatever, we don’t know - _anyway_ my grandfather got the other 185 rooms finished, they’re fully modernized and it’s where we normally stay.”  
“Is it open to the public?” Lewis can’t remember, he hasn’t really visited a castle in Germany before (read: none) and Nico nods.  
“All of them are during the whole year, except when I need them.”  
Well, that’s at least something.  
“Do me a favor and stay with one of us for now though”, Valtteri says dryly while they get into the big reception hall, “we already had a Chinese couple disappearing here a few years ago, we don’t need the King’s future husband to get lost as well.”  
“You had what?!” Lewis turns to him, staring at him incredulously and Nico frowns.  
“Yeah that was bad publicity. They visited the castle in summer 2016 and just disappeared, never showed up at the bus of their travel group that evening and we haven’t seen them since.”  
Comforting, really.  
“Great.” Lewis takes a deep breath, his neck prickling as if he’s being watched (that’s ridiculous really) and he tries to ignore the eerie feeling spreading through him.  
The whole castle is buzzing with people when they’re on their way to their bedroom and Lewis frowns, falling on their huge King-Size-Bed.  
“How many people work here?”  
“During the visitor season? Around 300 people. Now with the a Winter Ball coming up and me being here? 1.000.”  
Lewis nearly chokes on his own spit and he stares at Nico in panic.  
“One thousand people?!”  
“Yeah well, it’s a lot of work, lots of security. But don’t worry, our guests are not staying here.” Nico gives him a reassuring smile and nods to the window.  
“You see that castle cover there on the hill? That’s Hohenschwangau. All royal guests will be accommodated there, everyone else stays in hotels.” Lewis nervously bites his lips.  
“Okay, what’s the date?”  
“22nd of December, most guests will arrive one day before.”  
So they still have a good two weeks to prepare and Lewis takes a deep breath.  
“Okay.”  
God he hopes he brought a decent suit. 

The next few days are busy, but not that hectic yet, and Lewis spends most of the time exploring the castle with either Kimi, Nico or Valtteri by his side.  
It’s huge, way too many rooms but it’s also breathtaking and Lewis is impressed what Nico’s grandfather actually did with all the rooms. The 15 historical rooms of the former King are impressive as well, even though Lewis stays away from them after visiting them once - it feels a bit too private, like he doesn’t belong there.  
“Can you ride a horse?”, Nico asks him while they’re strolling through the library, there’s a fire burning in the chimney and it’s actually quite cozy - Lewis likes being here.  
“I sat on one during a fair when I was 10, does this count?” Lewis grins, letting his hand trail overall the books on the shelves and Nico shrugs.  
“Good enough for me.” 

And that’s how they ended up taking a ride through the snowy forest. Kimi had already explained to them that security was high and they should only go out with guards, given the fact that so many royals and politicians also attracted not so friendly people and Lewis tries not to worry.  
They’re surrounded by Kimi, Valtteri, Kevin, and ten other security guards and they trot through the snowy path, the guards staying a bit behind to give them privacy. Nico, who’s on a dark brown horse, is leading Lewis’s white one and it’s oddly peaceful.  
“You sure Fernando can handle Roscoe and Coco?”, Lewis asks, his hands nearly freezing on the reins even though he’s wearing riding gloves (Nico borrowed him some) and his fiancé snorts.  
“All they do every day is sleep or eat, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”  
“Or cuddle”, Lewis throws in and Nico blinks for a second before he starts laughing.  
“Okay yeah, that could be a problem for him.”  
Lewis grins as well and the steady up and down on the horse is somehow calming.  
“You’re okay?”, he asks, knowing it is Nico’s first big event as King since the coronation and his fiancé hesitates.  
“I guess? It’s a lot to organize and I just want everything to go smoothly so we can start planning the wedding in the new year.”  
“I’m looking forward to that.” Lewis smiles. “Also for seeing my family on Christmas again - thanks for coming with me.”  
“Always, no? We already have one person in this relationship with a fucked up family. I just hope they’ll like me.” Nico gives him a crooked grin and Lewis stares at him for a second before he scoffs.  
“Why wouldn’t they? You’re handsome, smart, _the King of Germany_ -“  
“Yeah and maybe that’s the problem? I don’t know, what if they hate the monarchy as much as their son?” Nico raises his eyebrows, grinning and Lewis realizes too late that he’s joking.  
“Don’t worry, they’re all devoted to the Queen. Of England”, he says dryly.  
”They’ll love you”, he adds a bit softer. “Just like I do.”  
Nico’s answer is him leaning over, kissing him and Lewis nearly falling off his horse with that. 

“Don’t forget, you can’t cross your legs”, Fernando says, giving him a pointed look and Lewis raises his eyebrows.  
“I _know_ , we’ve been over this Fernando.”  
They’re sitting at the table in the dining room for three hours now, Valtteri leaning on the wall and looking bored while Fernando trains Lewis in Royal Protocol.  
He thought that Kimi already gave him a briefing before the coronation but turns out that he only got the basics. And that there are a shit ton of more, absolutely ridiculous, rules.  
“I’m just saying, that-“  
“Gay people can’t sit properly anyway”, Lewis throws in, not being able to hide his grin. “At least that’s what I read in an Buzzfeed article.”  
Valtteri bursts out laughing and the glare Fernando throws him is deadly.  
“Is not a joke, Lewis!”  
“Chill, I just tried to ease the mood.” Lewis rolls his eyes, but he’s still grinning and Fernando sighs.  
“Every royal from Europe will be there so _please_ Lewis, for the love of God, don’t fuck it up.”  
Lewis crosses his arms in front of his chest, trying to ignore the anxiety that’s slowly building up in him again.  
“Shut up, Fernando, it will be fine.”  
“Hm, whatever. If you need to leave the table during the meal for the bathroom, don’t make a fuss. Just say ‘Excuse me’ and leave.”  
“I know that, Kimi already explained this to me.” Lewis rolls his eyes, this is absolutely ridiculous but Fernando just ticks something off on his iPad.  
“Great. Descend stairs gracefully, but I don’t think that will be a problem, no?”  
“Eh...I guess? Do we have to walk down stairs?” Lewis blinks confused and Fernando nods. “Nico and you will enter at last when everyone is already present.”  
“Why?”  
“Because he is the King and you are his fiancé?” Fernando raises his eyebrows and checks his iPad again.  
“Always enter the room in precedence, which is essentially the order of who’s next in line to the throne. Given the fact that you’re next in line after Nico you’ll enter after him.”  
“I’m _what_?!”  
“You don’t have kids, Lewis, so if something happens to Nico, you’ll be King - at least when you’re married. Well, that’s normally the case, I don’t know how it is with you being British and all.”  
Fernando frowns and Lewis is close to freaking out. He is next in line to the throne?! What the fuck what the fuck what the-  
“The King also gets to set the pace at every meal. As soon as he starts eating you can start too but when he takes his last bite and puts down his fork, everyone else has to follow his lead, whether or not they’re full too.” Fernando just keeps going on and Lewis is actually speechless.  
“What the actual fuck?!” He stares at him incredulously, shaking his head. “We never did that, not even during the State Dinners!”  
“Yeah well this is a bit bigger than a normal Palace or State Dinner”, Fernando snaps, looking tense and Lewis swallows dryly. This is so ridiculous.  
“Don’t, under any circumstances”, Fernando glares at him, “be political. Be as diplomatic as possible and also don’t eat shellfish.”  
“I’m vegan.”  
“Great.”  
“And what if Trump is a bloody racist again?!” Lewis shakes his head, staring at Fernando, he doesn’t like that at all. How on earth is he supposed to be neutral then, that-  
“He’s not even invited so chill”, Fernando answers him dryly. “I meant in general. If someone insults you, just excuse yourself and leave.”  
“I can do that?”  
“Better than causing a scene.” Fernando shrugs and Lewis’s thoughts are a mess, swirling with rules and Do’s and Don’ts and he is a bit overwhelmed.  
“Regarding the engagement announcement.” Fernando looks up, hesitating and Lewis gets a bad feeling about this.  
“Yes?”  
“There is a small...ceremony included.” Somehow Lewis is not surprised and he sighs, rubbing his eyes.  
“What is it? Sacrificing a goat while chanting the names of all past german kings?”  
Valtteri snorts, not being able to hide his grin which earns him a glare from Fernando and the Spaniard rolls his eyes.  
“Again, is no joke Lewis!” “  
So no goat? Because that would really go against all my ethical standards.”  
Joking at least helps him to somehow cope with the anxiety and Fernando looks really done.  
“No. Nico is on his throne and you basically kneel in front of him, swearing your loyalty and love to him.”  
Dead silence answers him, Lewis’s blood runs cold and he stares at Fernando, his mouth suddenly very dry.  
“Now you’re joking, right?” His voice sounds a bit hoarse and he clears his throat, Fernando just shaking his head.  
“No.”  
He- Lewis feels his breathing quickening, he can’t be serious. He is supposed to kneel in front of his boyfriend in front of all those people and- No.  
“Does Nico also kneel in front of me and swears his love and loyalty to me?”  
“No?” Fernando looks at him as if he’s stupid and snorts.  
“He’s the King.”  
Of course.  
“I’m not doing it.” Lewis’s voice breaks a little at the end, panic slowly rising in him and Fernando rolls his eyes.  
“Yes you will, it’s tradition.”  
“No.” Lewis’s throat tightens and he stands up, ignoring his shaking hands. “I won’t, Fernando, forget it.”  
“Don’t be such a Drama Queen, it’s no big deal-“  
“Yes it is!” Lewis stares at him, he’s something between incredibly pissed and slightly panicked and he ignores the worried glance Valtteri throws him.  
“Le-“  
“No”, he says again before leaving the room, trying to calm his racing heart. He won’t kneel in front of Nico. Never. 

“So we seat Queen Elizabeth next to Queen Margrethe of Denmark, that would work.”  
Nico sighs, running a hand through his hair and ticks the two off his list. The seating arrangement is more complicated than he thought, making sure that everyone somehow gets along and it’s mostly politics.  
“What about Charles?”, Fernando asks and Kimi grins.  
“Put him next to Dan, I’m sure it’ll be fun.”  
“If you want Max to kill him, yes, go ahead”, Nico replies dryly. “Charles will sit as far away as possible from those two.”  
“Well, where do you want him then?” Kimi raises his eyebrows and Nico sighs again, looking at the seating plan in front of him.  
“I don’t know, Carlos?”  
“Absolutely not.” Fernando snorts, shaking his head. “Prince Carlos is too good for him.”  
“Chill, it’s just a dinner.”  
“Yeah and we all know what happened in Norway so _no_ , Carlos will not sit next to Charles.” Fernando glares at Nico, being oddly protective of the Spanish Crown Prince (Nico knows Fernando worked for the Spanish royal family before and always had a soft spot for him) and Kimi rolls his eyes.  
“Just because Charles fucked Marcus doesn’t mean-“  
“No.” Fernando looks like he’s ready to fight him and Kimi raises one eyebrow, looking at him annoyedly.  
“You’re not deciding that.”  
They both turn to Nico and he sighs inwardly, taking a deep breath. Dear god, really now? He’s already incredibly nervous, knows that the Winter Ball has tradition and it’s his first big event as King. He just wants everything to go as smoothly as possible and he shakes his head.  
“Charles also won’t sit next to Carlos then.”  
While Fernando seems satisfied, Kimi just rolls his eyes and Nico takes another look at the seat plan.  
“What about Marcus?” Kimi raises his eyebrows and Nico snorts.  
“Well that would just be awkward.”  
“Fair point.”  
“Okay, what if we just put him next to Queen Elizabeth?”  
“You really want to seat him next to _The Queen_?!” Fernando stares at Nico stunned and Nico shrugs, ticking Charles’s name off the list.  
“Yeah. Doubt he’ll try to flirt with her and even if: she probably finds it charming.”  
They go on, placing every royal and politician somewhere in the room and after they’re done, Kimi turns to him, a thoughtful look in his eyes.  
“I already briefed my men about it this morning but I don’t want anyone of you to go out alone. Could be that there are some anti-royalist out there, potentially dangerous. We increased security numbers and the guests will be able to arrive safely we’ll make sure of that but I really don’t want anyone of you out alone”, he says calmly and Nico nods.  
“Don’t worry, we won’t.”  
Another thing to worry about then but he’s glad he has people like Kimi and Fernando by his side who know what they’re doing.  
This Ball is important to him - when everything goes smoothly he can show his parents that he is a good King. That he is not failing at his job, not letting his country down, fulling his duties and he forces himself to smile when he sees Romain approaching.  
“What can I do for you?”  
Why does he even have a Senior Household Officer when it’s still him in the end who has to organize everything?  
“I wanted to talk with you about the buffet.” Romain frowns, leaning against the wall. “All vegan?”  
“Vegan and vegetarian”, Nico corrects him. “Maybe chicken but that’s it.”  
“You sure the guests will like it?”  
“I trust your skills, Romain.” Nico gives him a small smile and his cook smiles as well, blushing slightly.  
“Thanks.”  
He leaves and just when Nico wants to ask Fernando about Lewis, one of the staff members engages him in a conversation about the decorations.  
Half an hour later they have decided on a color for the flowers (white because winter) and the Christmas tree decorations (silver and red) and he sighs, turning to Fernando.  
“How is it going with Lewis?”  
“Good until I told him about the engagement ceremony. He refuses to kneel in front of you.” Fernando sounds bitter and Nico groans, putting his head back and staring at the ceiling. He loves Lewis, he really does, but his fiancé can be incredibly stubborn and he sighs.  
“Did you tell him it’s tradition?”  
“Yeah. He doesn’t care and left.”  
Fucking great.

Lewis sits on one of the balconies, Roscoe on his lap, cuddled under two coats and three blankets, keeping them warm and he stares absentmindedly into the distance.  
He can deal with all those ridiculous rules somehow, especially knowing that it’s just for one evening and both of them won’t give a shit about royal protocol anymore till the next event.  
But the kneeling in front of his fiancé and swearing his love and loyalty to him? That’s different.  
Especially because it’s just him doing it, basically showing everyone that they’re not equal. But that’s exactly what they are in their relationship. Equals.  
They’re not the King and his Commoner Boyfriend, they’re Nico and Lewis and Lewis might’ve understood it if it was in the context of him swearing loyalty to his King.  
But Nico isn’t his King, he’s not even German and he groans, putting his head back.  
He can’t do it, he knows that. He also desperately needs to talk with someone about this but as much as he loves Seb, he knows he won’t understand. It’s easy when you’ve never been in this situation and Lewis plays with his phone in his hands, hesitating.  
He has Dan’s number - the Aussie gave it to him during their visit to the Netherlands in the summer - but they have barely texted.  
Dan sometimes sends him some memes and Lewis replies but that’s it and he takes a deep breath. Fuck it, he needs advice. And there is only one person who can give it to him.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey Dan, it’s Lewis. Can we talk?”  
“Lewis, mate! Yeah sure, just- gimme a second.” Lewis hears voices in the background, Dan calling something to someone in Dutch and then it’s suddenly quiet.  
“What’s up?”  
“I need to talk to you about that engagement ceremony.” No need in beating around the bush and Lewis cuddles Roscoe, his fingers slowly freezing.  
“Oh, what about it?”  
“There- Fernando said there is this ceremony. And that I have to kneel in front of Nico and swear my loyalty and love to him. And I just- Dan I can’t do that this goes against everything I believe in!”  
Lewis runs a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath and it’s quiet for a second on the other end. Maybe this was a bad idea, maybe Dan-  
“I kinda get your point”, Dan then says and Lewis breathes out in relief.  
“But don’t interpret so much into it, really. It’s just some tradition that is important to them and as long as Nico and you know you are equal it’s fine”, he adds and Lewis swallows dryly.  
“Did you kneel in front of Max?”, he then asks and he can hear Dan laugh.  
“Mate, all the time, don’t you kneel in front of Nico?”  
“Maybe but never in front of hundreds of people.” Lewis snorts but he can’t help the small grin on his face. Ridiculous, really.  
“But to answer your question: yes I did. Pretty soon after Max’s coronation last year, actually, Nico was there too. I even did my oath in Dutch, Max was very proud.”  
Lewis can basically _hear_ Dan’s smile when he talks about it and he takes a deep breath.  
“Great”, he mumbles, “which means I’m the weird one.”  
“No, you’re not. Max and my relationship is completely different than Nico and yours.” Dan sounds surprisingly serious suddenly and Lewis’s throat tightens.  
“Really? Because it doesn’t feel like it.”  
“Jeepers, Lewis, I was Max’s bodyguard for four and a half years before we married. I was used to, I don’t know, treating him differently when we were in public. We are equal, yes, but I’ve learned to live with all those royal antics in the last years. You two are, what? Dating for a year now? Give yourself time.”  
“I know and I don’t mind most of those stupid rules.” Lewis scoffs, playing with Roscoe’s ears which gets him a content snore. “I just mind the kneeling thing.”  
“Talk with him, I’m sure Nico will understand and you’ll find a solution.”  
Somehow Dan’s words calm Lewis a bit, not much but enough to ease the tension in his chest a bit.  
They have talked about everything else so far and Nico has always been understanding. Maybe he didn’t even know about the kneeling thing, maybe he forgot to cross it out.  
“Thanks, man.” A small smile appears on Lewis’s face and he hears Dan laugh.  
“Always, mate. Call me if you need anything else.”  
He hangs up and Lewis picks up Roscoe and carries him, together with the coats and blankets, inside. He gently lets him down on the bed before taking a deep breath, closing the door to the balcony.  
Time to find Nico. 

His boyfriend - fiancé - whatever - is in their bedroom, looking a bit distressed and Lewis kisses him before sitting down next to him.  
“All good?”  
“Mhm, just talked with my mother on the phone again.” Nico rolls his eyes and Lewis swallows dryly. He knows Nico has a rocky relationship with his parents and he fidgets, not sure how to start this conversation.  
“Listen, Fernando and I went over the engagement ceremony.“  
“He told me.” Nico forces himself to smile and takes a deep breath. “He said you don’t want to do it.”  
That feels like a punch in the gut and Lewis swallows, trying to find the right words.  
“It’s not the ceremony”, he says slowly. “It’s the kneeling thing.”  
“It’s tradition, Lewis.” Nico shrugs, he looks tired and something in Lewis stirs.  
“Maybe but I don’t want to do it.” That sounds harsher than he meant it and Nico looks up, rolling his eyes.  
“Really now? It doesn’t take long, five minutes max, and that’s it.”  
“Yes but I don’t want to kneel in front of you while every Royal and politician in Europe is watching me! And you’re not even doing it the other way round!” Lewis can feel himself getting pissed and Nico’s face darkens.  
“I’m the King!”  
“You’re first and foremost my boyfriend.”  
“And the King!”  
“Yeah well, you made your choice with that.” Lewis snorts, absolutely done with this conversation and Nico gets up, glaring at him.  
“It is not a choice! It‘s a duty!”  
Is he for real?! Lewis gets up as well, snorting.  
“Is it now? Well, I won’t kneel in front of you and that’s it.”  
“We are engaged, it’s fucking _expected_ of you!”  
Nico looks pissed as well now and Lewis really can’t believe it.  
How does he not get it, since when is he so fucking fixed on traditions?! He had actually wanted to tell Nico he feels uncomfortable doing it, that it goes against everything he stands for and would just feel humiliated. But apparently they left the rational level of the conversation and he’s pissed.  
“I don’t give _a shit_ about what’s expected of me, Nico! I don’t like doing it, okay?!”  
“Oh my god, you’re such a drama queen, just do it! It’s no big deal, for god's sake, Lewis!”  
"I will not kneel before my fiancé!"  
"Your fiancé is not asking you to!"  
"But the King commands me?"  
"Yes!"  
"I beg you to make an exception for me."  
"..no!" Nico shakes his head confused and Lewis blinks, absolutely speechless.  
“You’re not even my King, I’m not even german!”, he then spits out and Nico stares at him incredulously.  
“But you will marry the King so pay him some fucking respect!”  
Those words cut like a knife, Lewis feels his throat tightening and he takes a shaky breath, trying to stay calm.  
Nico thinks he doesn’t respect him? And he thought they were equal in this relationship. So much for that then.  
There is so much he wants to say, to shout at Nico, give him a piece of his mind but there’s a lump in his throat and he feels like he’s going to start crying every second.  
“I can’t do this right now.”  
He gives Nico one last look before he flees, running out of the room and trying his best not to cry. Fuck.  
He needs to get out of here, needs to get some fresh air, something to clear his head and he’s relieved to find Roscoe in their bedroom.  
He quickly puts on some thick jacket before grabbing the dog, storming past two confused guards and doesn’t stop when he hears people yell after him.  
No idea if it was Nico, Kimi or whoever - not that he cares. All Lewis wants it to get away. Leave this whole bullshit behind for a few hours, all those ridiculous rules and ceremonies and responsibilities and he stifles a sob, not wanting to cry just yet. He doesn’t regret his decision, he loves Nico but- fuck.  
He leaves the castle but the second he’s past the guards and gates he’s surrounded by journalists, cameras and photographers, and Lewis freezes. Shit. He completely forgot that the press is basically besieging the castle since their arrival, eager to get any information and Lewis tries not to panic.  
The second they spot him they start yelling questions, shouting, asking him everything they can think of and Lewis feels himself getting absolutely overwhelmed.  
He tries to answer a few, knows he needs to stay polite and somehow diplomatic but when the questions start getting about more personal and about his sex life, he can feel himself getting more and more uncomfortable, panic rising in his chest.  
He tries staying polite though. He really does.  
“I’m sorry Ma’am but it’s none of your business who of us tops.”  
“I think people have a right to know about their leaders, especially ones that can’t be thrown out with free and fair elections!”  
Lewis feels like the air got knocked out of his chest, like he can’t breathe for a moment, that sentence hurts more than everything else.  
That’s exactly how he thought about monarchy two years ago - still thinks sometimes. But he also gets why people want to have a Royal Family, gets why Nico takes his job so seriously.  
The people believe in them, want to have someone to look up to - Lewis realized that on their visit to Munich, meeting Anna and the boy. Or that one time afterward, where a young, black, boy told him that Lewis had been the reason why he went back to school.  
Yes, the monarchy is shit and fucked up and maybe outdated - but they can also do so much good. Can have an influence.  
Everything is becoming too much, the woman still stares at him with cold eyes and Lewis feels sick, his head spinning and he grabs Roscoe a bit tighter before he starts running, pushing through the journalists. He needs to get away from here.  
He runs into the forest surrounding the mountain, trying not to slip and his mind is a fucking mess. He loves Nico but to what price?  
He can’t just give up everything he ever believed in for one man and hot tears make their way over his face, Lewis sniffing and pressing Roscoe closer to his chest. Giving in to Nico, kneeling in front of him feels like submitting to the monarchy, to burying everything he ever believed in and Lewis feels sick at that thought.  
He reached the bottom of the mountain by now, it’s still freezing cold and Lewis takes a deep breath, wandering through the forest on a small path leading god knows where. Roscoe looks completely unbothered, used to being carried around and Lewis kisses his head, trying to calm himself.  
He suddenly remembers that he’s not allowed to go out on his own, Kimi having warned him that some anti-royalists might be around but really, he couldn’t care less.  
They have been out on their own in Munich as well, right? Everything had been fine then and it would be okay now too. And if he really runs into some anti-royalist- who cares. He already argued enough today, he can deal with one more.  
The snow crunches under his boots and Lewis considers letting Roscoe down when suddenly a man shows up in front of him.  
Lewis involuntarily tenses a bit but forces himself to stay calm when the man’s eyes widen in recognition of who’s in front of him. The German people love the Royal Family, right?  
“You fucking faggot!”  
Apparently not this one. The man looks absolutely furious, walking towards him and Lewis swallows.  
“Sir, please, just let us both move on with our day, okay? Then-“  
“You’re ruining this country!” The man is shouting, coming even closer and Lewis takes a deep breath.  
“Come on man, no one needs to get hurt, just stay back-“  
“Fucking entitled royals, and now they’re gay as well, this country really is in shambles. Disgusting!” The man spits in front of Lewis and he swallows. He has a black belt in karate, if things get worse he can defend himself and-  
The man pulls a gun and Lewis’s entire world stops for a moment. He freezes, staring at the man in panic, his heart beating so fast that he can feel it against his rib cage and he only realizes now that Roscoe is still pressed against his chest. Fuck.  
The gun is pointed directly at them, the man having an ugly grin on his face and Lewis can feel his blood leaving his face. No. No, no, he can’t- How-  
“You won’t get away with this-“  
“I will, there’s absolutely no one around”, the man interrupts him coldly, a mad spark in his eyes.  
“Maybe the King will step down, mourning the death of his lover”, he spits that word out, “and we can lead the country back to its old glory.”  
Lewis is getting chills, he’s shaking slightly and he has never been more terrified in his life. God, he wishes Nico and he hadn’t ended this on such an ugly note. Wishes he himself hadn’t been such an ass.  
He prays Nico can forgive him somehow and he can feel tears prickling in his eyes. His breathing is so fast he’s sure he’s passing out any second anyway, Roscoe growling quietly and Lewis hopes that the guy at least lets the dog alive. Fuck.  
The man unlocks his gun and Lewis thinks about running but he still has Roscoe with him and he doubts he can outrun the guy down here. Not with the snow and the dog and he definitely won’t leave Roscoe behind.  
He braces himself for the shot, whispering a quiet “Forgive me” (not that Nico can hear him), his heart breaking when he thinks about his fiancé. Why was he such an idiot, he regrets everything he said to Nico before and he’s so scared.  
He can feel the cold creeping into him, chilling him to the bone and it’s not just because of the snow.  
Suddenly there’s a shot, Lewis flinches but the bullet doesn’t hit him - instead, his attacker goes down, screaming in pain and Lewis stares at him in panic, absolutely shocked.  
The bullet went right through the guy’s leg, there’s blood splattered on the snow, the dark red a bizarre contrast to the white and Roscoe barks, wiggling in Lewis’s arms. What the-  
He nearly lets out a sob when he sees Kimi appear from behind the trees, an absolutely murderous gaze in his eyes and a gun in his hand.  
“Kimi!”  
Only now he lets Roscoe down before nearly throwing himself in Kimi’s arms, never been more relieved to see him.  
He distinctly hears Kimi say something in his in-ear-comms before two strong arms hug him back and Lewis takes a shaky breath, the events of the evening slowly catching up with him. He nearly got shot. He nearly _died_ , Kimi shot the guy and-  
“Kimi you shot him, you fucking shot him oh my god!” He’s panicking again and Kimi sighs, patting his back.  
“Yeah, he was attacking you. The bullet also just went through his leg, he’ll be fine. Calm down.”  
Lewis is still shaking, from the corner of his eyes he sees guards swarming the place and taking care of the man and he swallows dryly, Kimi still protectively having an arm around him.  
“What are you even doing here?”  
“We saw you running off and I actually advised Nico to stay in the castle”, Kimi glares at Nico who suddenly showed up as well, Valtteri looking guilty, “because we know it’s dangerous.“  
Lewis knows he wants to give him a lecture, knows Kimi is pissed but before the Fin can say more, Nico is there, hugging him, kissing him desperately and there are tears running down his cheeks.  
“Fuck, I’m _so_ sorry, I was an absolute asshole, I-“  
Lewis shuts him up with another kiss and Kimi sighs, exchanging a quick look with Valtteri.  
“Bring them back to the castle - they really need to talk.”  
Valtteri nods quietly, taking Lewis’s arm and gently leads them past the guards up the hill. Fernando is already waiting for them a the gates, looking worried and as soon as he sees them he pulls Lewis into a tight hug.  
“ _Madre mía_ , Lewis!”  
He draws in a shaky breath, shaking his head and Lewis can’t help but feel guilty. He knows he shouldn’t have run off like that but Nico just takes his hand, leading him inside the warm castle.  
Roscoe follows them, jumping on the bed next to Coco with a content sigh and Lewis tries not to cry. All because of a stupid argument. They all worried about him because of that stupid argument and-  
“It’s my fault.”  
His head snaps up when he hears Nico’s voice, Nico looking like a complete mess. There are tears running down his face, he bites his lip and is pale as the wall behind him, nervously fidgeting with his hands.  
“You nearly got shot because of me, you nearly _died_ because of me, I-“  
“Shut up, it’s my fault”, Lewis interrupts him, sitting down next to him and takes Nico’s hands in his.  
“I shouldn’t have run off like that, I could’ve stayed in the palace to have a dramatic exit I just-“  
“And I should’ve listened to you. Fuck, Lewis, I’m so sorry.” Nico runs a hand through his hair, pulling him closer.“I-shit I should’ve known there is a reason why you don’t want to do it but I was stressed and...my mother got into my head.”  
There’s nothing but regret in his eyes and Lewis takes a deep breath, the adrenaline slowly leaving his body.  
“What do you mean with that?”, he asks carefully and Nico shrugs, avoiding to look at him.  
“Says I’m neglecting my country, my duties. That I’m not a good king.”  
”What the fuck?!” Lewis stares at him incredulously and Nico shrugs again.  
“She got into my head and I just wanted to have this whole event go by smoothly, I- I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Nico is still not looking at him and Lewis swallows dryly.  
“I’m sorry”, he says quietly.  
“I just feel uncomfortable doing it, you know? It feels like giving in to the monarchy, burying everything I ever believed in and I would just feel...humiliated. Like we are not equal.”  
Now it’s his turn to look away, biting his lips and he’s so nervous. Nervous what Nico will say, will think and-  
“I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable. Never.” Nico’s voice is choked with tears and Lewis looks up, seeing tears in his eyes.  
“We _are_ equal and I’ll make sure everyone knows that - I’m so sorry if you ever thought something else and- I really don’t know what else to say except how sorry I am.”  
Nico takes a deep breath, burying his face in the crock of Lewis’s neck and they stay like that for what feels like ages, clinging on to each other and Lewis can feel himself relax slowly. He’s here, he‘s _alive_ thanks to Kimi and Nico and he talked - it’s a start.  
“You don’t have to do it”, Nico suddenly says, looking up, “the kneeling thing I mean. I get that it’s totally outdated and we don’t have to do it.”  
Immense relief floods through Lewis and he breathes out, tension slowly leaving his body.  
“Except you don’t want to marry me anymore.”  
Nico looks incredibly insecure and Lewis snorts, pulling him into a deep kiss.  
“I will _always_ marry you, you won’t get rid of me that easily. No one said it would be easy, right?” 

They fell asleep in that bed, with the dogs by their feet and when Lewis wakes up the next morning, he feels slightly better. Nico and he talked and when his fiancé wakes up, giving him a soft smile, Lewis can’t help but smile as well.  
They get ready, going for breakfast (Lewis is really not looking forward to the lecture he’s going to get form Kimi) but when they step into the dining room, Lewis freezes.  
His mother, brother, and Seb are sitting at the table, chatting with Kimi, Valtteri and Fernando, all looking up when they come in and his mother immediately jumps up.  
“Lewis, darling!” She pulls him into a tight hug, Nic joins them and Lewis swallows, a bit overwhelmed.  
“What are you doing here?” His voice is hoarse and his mum scoffs, looking at him with a concerned expression.  
“You nearly getting yourself killed isn’t a reason to visit?!”  
“I invited them”, Nico adds quietly and when Lewis looks at him surprised, he smiles. “I put you through a lot in the last few weeks, you’re sacrificing so much for me and- I thought you’d want to see them.”  
“Yeah and I called Seb, I need some emotional support after all the drama with you two. You too, I guess”, Kimi adds dryly and while Lewis is still speechless, his mother and brother seem to realize who’s actually in front of them.  
“Your Majesty-“  
“Please, call me Nico”, Nico interrupts her, offering her his hand and his mother smiles. “Carmen.”  
“Nicolas”, his brother ads and Nico’s smile grows.  
“Pleasure to meet you.”  
They start breakfast, Lewis falling down between his brother and Seb and god, he’s glad to see them.  
“So, the Winter Ball.” Fernando is all business, not wasting any more time and Nico sighs. “Yeah?”  
“You guys are staying?”, Lewis asks, shoving some more vegan pancakes into his mouth and Seb nods.  
“Apparently we are.” He looks rather amused and Lewis turns to Nico, frowning.  
“Don’t get me wrong, I love having them there but what about all that ‘Royal Protocol’ bullshit? You guys trained me for three weeks, I doubt they get it in three days.”  
“Ah, it will be fine.” Nico waves dismissively and a small smirk plays around his face.  
“You two”, he points at Nic and his mum, “will sit with Max and Dan, they don’t care about such things-“  
“The King of the Netherlands?!” Nic looks slightly terrified and Lewis can’t help but grin.  
“He’s chill”, he says nonchalantly and Nico nods.  
“And you”, he’s looking at Seb, “will sit with Charles.”  
While Seb just nods, not really seeming to care, Kimi raises his eyebrows.  
“Why do you hate my husband, Nico?”  
“I don’t-“  
“I thought Charles is sitting next to Queen Elizabeth?”, Fernando asks, typing on his iPad and Nico sighs. “No, I changed my mind. You’re okay with it?”  
He looks at Seb who just nods again.  
“I don’t even know him, it’s alright.”  
“Also.” Nico crosses his arms in front of his chest, looking at Fernando.  
“Lewis won’t kneel in front of me and that’s that.”  
“But isn’t it-“  
“I don’t _care_ if it’s tradition or not. He’s uncomfortable with it and that’s enough for me. Understood?”  
Nico glares at Fernando, the Spaniard just mumbling something under his breath but nodding. Lewis hides his smile behind his mug, blushing slightly when Nico winks at him and he hasn’t felt that calm in weeks.  
Roscoe and Coco are laying next to the window, sleeping, he has his family here, his best friend and he doesn’t have to kneel at that stupid engagement ceremony.  
It’s going to be fine. 

It’s the day of the Winter Ball and the castle is busier than all three weeks before.  
Lewis is not particularly nervous, at least not yet - Valtteri and he take the dogs for a walk while Nico has to do some interviews and he eats some cold lunch with Kimi, Kevin, and Seb in the kitchen, trying not to be in Romain’s way.  
Only when Nico and he are starting to get dressed, the sun setting in front of the windows, the nervousness hits him full force and he tries not to freak out.  
Their guests are already arriving, he has the live stream on his laptop open (he has no idea why the whole Ball is broadcasted but again, he should really stop questioning the antics of the Royal Family) and Lewis takes a deep breath. He’s wearing a dark suit, the same goes for Nico and he swallows when his fiancé puts the crown on his head.  
“You look good”, he say, his voice a bit dry and Nico smirks. “I know.”  
“Even though I think the crown is a bit much.”  
“Pity because you’ll get one as well.”  
“What?!”  
“Yeah.” Nico smiles, reaching into the other box that is standing on the desk and Lewis blinks when he sees a silver tiara with pearls in diamond arches, actually speechless. It’s beautiful and Nico brings it over, smiling softly.  
“It’s called the ‘Lover’s Knot Tiara’ and is in our family for over 300 years by now.”  
“I-“  
“If you allow,” Nico smirks and Lewis takes a deep breath before bowing his head a little so Nico can place the crown on his head.  
“Isn’t a tiara for girls?”  
“Why, you want a gown with it?” Nico smirks, trailing a hand over Lewis’s dark dress shirt. “Even though you look really good in that suit.”  
Lewis blushes, not sure what to say to that and Nico turns serious.  
“That crown is for whoever the King - or Queen - chose as their consort. It doesn’t really have a gender.”  
“Comforting, really.” Lewis looks in the mirror, not sure what to think - it feels weird and he takes a look out of the window.  
He can see the carriages arrive in the inner courtyard, guests leaving and going into the palace ( _Carriages_. Lewis had suggested cars but had only gotten a very shocked stare from Fernando. “They’re _royalty_ , Lewis!”) and he takes a deep breath.  
“And here we can see His Royal Highness, Charles Leclerc-Grimaldi, Crown Prince of Monaco, arrive at the castle”, says the voice of the commentator and Lewis watches how a young man with dark hair gracefully steps out of the carriage, smiling innocently at the cameras and waving.  
So that’s the Charles everyone has been talking about? Good to know.  
“He looks nice”, he comments absentmindedly and he can hear Nico snort behind him. “He’s a little devil, don’t trust him.”  
“I thought you two are friends?!”  
“Eh, more or less?” Nico shrugs helplessly, taking a look out of the window as well now. “Most of the time.”  
The carriage after Charles is the one from Max and Dan and Lewis can’t help but smile when he sees Dan offering Max a hand, helping him out of the carriage with a broad grin on his face.  
“Why doesn’t Dan have a crown?”, he asks and he can hear Nico laugh.  
“Darling, we are _a bit_ more powerful than the Netherlands. Don’t tell Max I said that tho.”  
“I would never.” Lewis grins, kissing Nico softly.  
“Interestingly enough, the King has referred from inviting his parents tonight - instead, his boyfriend’s mother and brother are rumored to be there.”  
The commentator's voice makes Lewis break the kiss, looking at Nico with raised eyebrows.  
“You didn’t invite your parents?!”  
“No.” Nico grins, actually looking proud of himself and Lewis shakes his head incredulously.  
“ _Why_?!”  
“Let’s just say we had a few...disagreements in the past. And I have the suspicion that they’re the unnamed source behind the cheating rumors.”  
Nico sounds bitter but Lewis can’t help but be relieved that he doesn’t have to see Nico’s parents tonight. The Coronation has already been awkward, with them pretending Lewis didn’t exist and he takes Nico’s hand.  
“You regret not inviting them?”  
“No. Maybe it teaches them a lesson, even though I doubt it.” Nico sighs and Lewis smiles, kissing him again.  
“You’re doing great, Your Majesty”, he says quietly, probably for the first time without meaning it mockingly and Nico stares at him for a second before smiling as well.  
“So do you”, he whispers, leaning in for another kiss.  
“All guests have arrived, gathered inside the castle, waiting for the arrival of His Majesty and his boyfriend who are rumored to make their engagement public today, having had some troubling weeks behind them-“  
“I mean, they’re not wrong”, Nico says dryly and Lewis snorts. “Time to go.”  
He closes the laptop and grins when Nico offers him his arm.  
“Romantic.”  
“Shut up and let’s go.”

The castle is nearly deserted and Lewis’s grip on Nico’s arm tightens when he hears the murmuring of the crowd. The wide stairs appear in front of them and Nico gives him one last smile.  
“Ready?”  
“Let’s do this.” They both give the man that will announce them a sign, then they start slowly walking down the stairs.  
“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome His Majesty, Nico Rosberg, King of Germany and Duke of Wiesbaden, and his boyfriend, His Royal Highness, Lewis Hamilton!”  
It’s the first time he hears his new “title” used at an official event and Lewis tries to keep his poker face, only smiling slightly when they walk down the stairs.  
He tries not to trip (“Descend stairs _gracefully_!”), not getting distracted by all the people and the TV cameras in the back.  
He spots his mum in the crowd, wearing a long evening gown, next to her are Nic and Seb, both wearing a suit.  
His mother looks so incredibly _proud_ and Lewis doesn’t really know why - for falling in love with the right person? But she also looks so happy for him, smiling and Lewis knows he doesn’t have the heart to say something to her later.  
They make their way through the crowd, people respectfully bowing their heads when they pass (it still feels weird, Lewis thinks, he knows most of the people but has never spoken to them and still-) and they all enter the huge dining room together.  
The cameras are still following them, everyone is taking their seat, only Nico remains standing.  
“Welcome and thank you all so much for coming - it means a lot.” He smiles, letting his gaze wander over his guests. “I hope you enjoy yourself tonight - I have an announcement to make but that can wait till after dinner.”  
He sits down again, their guests clap politely and as soon as Nico starts eating, the rest begins as well. Lewis tries to relax, taking a sip from his water and lets his gaze wander.  
Everyone is talking, laughing, seemingly having a good time and he is relieved to see that his mum and Nic seem to get along really well with Max and Dan.  
One look to Seb shows him that he’s talking animatedly with Charles and he can’t help but grin, gently nudging Nico with his elbow.  
“Seems like those two get along, eh?”, he mumbles, trying his best not to stare at his best friend (there are still cameras pointed at them) and Nico grins as well.  
“I knew it’d be a good choice to let them sit next to each other.”  
“We need to talk.” Out of nowhere Kimi appeared next to them and Nico frowns. “Is everything okay?”  
“No. Charles tried to flirt with Seb.” It’s quiet for a moment before Lewis bursts out laughing, trying his to hide it behind his glass while Nico grins.  
“Did he now? But they’re talking.”  
“That’s not the point!” Kimi glares at Nico, visibly pissed and Nico’s grin widens.  
“Kimi, are you jealous?”  
“I’m not jealous of some spoiled prince from Monaco.” Kimi snorts, crossing his arms and leaning in a little. “I’m serious, Nico. Don’t you ever sit Seb next to Charles again.”  
“I’m your king, you can’t threaten me.”  
“Try me.”  
“Okay, okay, chill.” Nico shakes his head amused, squeezing Kimi’s arm comfortingly. “It’s just one evening, alright? I doubt they ever see each other again after that.”  
Kimi just grumbles something below his breath before disappearing again and Nico snorts. “Well, that was something.”  
“Didn’t know Kimi is jealous”, Lewis comments but Nico shakes his head.  
“Nah he just isn’t too fond of Charles after all the stuff he heard from Pierre. Anyway, you’re ready?” He gives him a soft smile and Lewis smiles back nervously. The speech. Right.  
“As ready as one can be when he makes his engagement to the King public”, he replies and Nico grins.  
“That’s the spirit.”  
He puts his fork down and the reaction is astounding: every single person in the room stops eating immediately and Lewis can’t stop thinking how ridiculous this is. Nico gets up again, this time with Lewis by his side though, and he smiles.  
“I hope you all enjoyed your dinner, Romain truly is an amazing chef.” Nico takes a deep breath before lacing his fingers with Lewis’s.  
“I want to take this special occasion to announce that Lewis and I are engaged and will marry next summer.”  
It’s quiet for a second before that crowd starts whispering, Dan is the first one to start clapping, the rest following soon, cheering and while Lewis blushes slightly, not able to hide the smile forming on his face, Nico clears his throat.  
“My future husband will bear the title Prince and Duke of Munich”, he says and Lewis doesn’t miss the few looks some of the royals exchange.  
“Lewis?” Nico looks at him, a soft smile tugging on the corner of his mouth and Lewis nods quickly, taking a deep breath.  
“Right.”  
The crowd immediately goes silent at the sound of his voice and Lewis has no idea what to say. He prepared for this, he really did, but now, with everyone staring at him-  
Nico is still next to him though and he can see Seb and his mother giving him an encouraging smile. He can do this.  
“It’s been a few tough weeks.” Lewis smiles, taking a deep breath and deciding to ignore the fact that everyone in the room is staring at him. Instead, he laces his fingers with Nico’s, squeezing it slightly and weighing his next words.  
“But no one said dating the King of Germany would be easy and in the end, love does conquer all.”  
His smile grows and he can see Dan who gives him a thumbs up.  
“I...had a lot to think about in the last few weeks. How my life is going to change now and if Nico is worth it. And let me tell you, he definitely is.”  
Lewis turns, looking at Nico now and he swallows. “You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met and even though we have our...differences about some things” he grins and a few people laugh, “I can’t imagine my life without anymore. I love you, Nico, more than I ever thought I could love someone, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. This will mean a change, definitely - but I’m not afraid of that as long as I know I have you by my side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can follow me on tumblr under verstappened x
> 
> Ufff what a ride, another 25k words later. I really hope you enjoyed this, thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> I hope you liked this, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated and you might have noticed that I dropped a few hints for some other royals - we will see how this works with exams but let me know what you think! ♥️
> 
> Please don't share this work with the people involved, thanksss ♥️

**Author's Note:**

> you can follow me on tumblr @ [verstappened](https://verstappened.tumblr.com/) 💛
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated thanksss 💛


End file.
